Vera Verto
by shewhxmustnxtbenamed
Summary: Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 8th year, and it is quite adventurous; He gets in a relationship with his worst enemy, only to find out he is in cahoots with a previously known death eater. Harry tracks him down, leading to a domino effect of complicated situations. 40 chapters, about 6k each. Update every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tons of fluff, some smut. Plotty.
1. Vera Verto

"HARRY!" I was torn from my daydream to see the entire train compartment full of people, all staring at me.

I glanced from face to face attempting to pinpoint who had yelled my name. My eyes landed on Hermione and I saw she was looking at me expectantly.

"Yes?" I asked, an unintended hint of annoyance in my voice.

"We were just wondering how your summer has been?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. It was great. Lots of things to do, I even rebuilt most of Gryffindor tower." I replied, trying to keep my voice light.

My response seemed to spark a conversation topic on her mind and she turned to Neville entering a seemingly long conversation about some 'light reading' she did over the summer. I turned my head and looked back out the window watching the trees roll by. As far as I know, there are 11 of us returning to finish our schooling; Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Millicent Bulstrode, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and me.

With Ron, Hermione, and me being absent, we did not get to complete our 7th year at Hogwarts. The others, I assume, were too distracted by the upcoming war to get much work done. During the summer while most of us were working on castle reparations, Headmistress McGonagall announced that she would be opening a special level of schooling for those who participated in the war. She called it '8th year', but it was more like a repetition of 7th year without the academic penalties. She explained that we were to return to Hogwarts at the regular starting date, and we would all receive letters in the mail with a list of school supplies we were intended to buy for the upcoming school year.

During the summer I mainly stayed in the burrow, however things became a bit awkward when Ginny and I decided to end our relationship. It was a mutual agreement, without much turmoil, but there was still awkwardness in the air when we were in the same room together. I visited Teddy Lupin quite often to check up on him, and he seems to be growing up well under the care of his grandmother, Andromeda. Though just a baby, he is already able to change the color of the little hair he has. I know that Tonks would be proud of her son.

As this last thought passed through my mind, I could feel the train begin to slow down. I turned my focus onto those who were in the train compartment with me. Hermione leaned into Ron's shoulder as they both laughed at something Luna said. Dean and Seamus were deep into conversation- wait- holding hands? Dean and Seamus? Really? When did that happen? I guess I should've known. They have always been really good friends. I quickly looked away before they noticed I was staring.

Neville was practically enclosed in a book about Herbology, but he seemed to not be reading what was on the pages in front of him. A split second later he looked up at Luna and turned bright red- quickly returning his attention to his book. He glanced up at me and I gave him a small smile, which he returned. Next to him was Cho Chang who had returned to Hogwarts because the job she had as an Arithmancer fell through. I'd heard she wanted to be a Magizoologist, which made much more sense. She seemed to be drifting off to sleep, her head tilted back and her mouth opened, causing her to release a very loud snort. This sound woke her up with a start and the quickly composed herself. I hurriedly rubbed my chin to keep from laughing.

Noticing the slowing of the train Hermione stood, a laugh still lingering on her lips.

"I expect we will be arriving soon, we should change into our robes." She said, reaching for her trunk in the upper compartment.

I looked out the window once more to see a familiar castle approaching, excited and afraid of what is to come.

As I walked into the great hall and looked around, it seemed that nothing had really changed. The enchanted ceiling was velvety blue with candles alight, the stool and sorting hat were placed in the middle of the stage, awaiting first years yet to come. As we walked along the tables, Headmistress McGonagall directed us to a shorter table to the right of the great hall, right below the Professor's table. For some reason I was expecting that we would be sitting in our designated houses.

I sat next to Ron and Hermione, who were now observing the entering first years. Much to my surprise, Pansy Parkinson sat next to me. I looked at her with unintentional shock, and when she looked back at me I realized my mouth was stupidly open. I attempted to disguise it as a yawn and casually looked to the people past her. Next to her sat Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini, both of which had a frown on their faces which I assume is permanent. Across from us were Dean and Seamus in a fit of laughter. Cho, in conversation with Neville about some snargaluff that attacked one of the 2nd years.

There was one empty space between Neville and Draco Malfoy, being that the table was meant for 12 people and there were only 11 of us. Draco was seated on the very end of the bench, looking much like he wanted to be anywhere else but that seat right there. He was scowling down at the table, and rubbing his fingers along his neck. For some reason I felt bad for him. I wonder what his summer had been like. I read in the papers a while back that his father has been arrested and sent to Azkaban, and thought about what his mother might be doing in the empty house.

I had a brief flashback to Malfoy Manor when Bellatrix Lestrange had attacked Hermione. I could practically hear Hermione's screams, but as loud as that was it turned into the clinking of silver on glass as Professor McGonagall attracted everyone's attention for the sorting ceremony. As I was drawn back from my memories I realized that I had been staring at Malfoy this entire time, and to my dismay, he was staring back. His angular face looked angry, but almost.. almost afraid? Why was Draco Malfoy afraid of me? My lips parted involuntarily, as if I were about to ask him that very question. Upon hearing the sorting hat sing its sorting song, I closed my mouth and looked away from him, still confused by his expression.

After what seemed like hours of hearing 11 year olds being sorted into their various houses, the feast finally began. Our silver plates were filled with all kinds of delicious food. I couldn't decide where to start, so I grabbed one of everything. Ron was grabbing food off the platters and putting it straight into his mouth, avoiding his reserved plate all together. Hermione looked from him to me and rolled her eyes as she put a gracious dollop of mashed potatoes on both of our plates. I smiled a 'thank you' and dug into some chicken legs.

Halfway during the feast Ginny Weasley popped up in between Neville and Draco, greeting us all and asking how our trip had been. I had almost forgotten about Draco over there on the corner, and when I looked at him he seemed to be having a better time than before. He was now talking to Millicent and Blaise and whatever they were discussing seemed to make him forget what he was stewing about before.

After the feast was over and people were dispersing, I got up with the rest of the crowd, only to sit back down because I had no idea where we were supposed to sleep. I turned to Hermione and she seemed to be thinking the same thing. As she opened her mouth to inquire about this she was cut short by McGonagall's hand being placed on her shoulder. The three of us looked up at her to see a surprisingly warm smile spread across her face.

"How are you three?" she asked heartily.

"Wonderful, prof- Headmistress McGonagall." Hermione said, replying for all of us, with too much of an emphasis on her prefix.

McGonagall smiled down at us and turned her attention to the rest of the table.

"Since the 11 of you who are in our 8th year class are not separated into different houses, that means you lot will have your own dormitory." She was cut off by gasps of excitement from the table. Raising her had for silence she continued. "Firenze and professor Trelawny now teach Divination together on the first floor, therefore, the 7th floor of the north tower is now unoccupied and awaiting your arrival. Along with this, there have been a few alterations to the rules of living at Hogwarts. Your new Curfew is now eleven o'clock, and you are able to come on and off Hogwarts grounds as you please." Chattering ensued from these leniencies of the rules and McGonagall smiled, waiting patiently for the conversations to die down. "Please be aware that along with these freedoms come even harsher consequences. Disobeyal of these rules will result in severe reprimanding without leniency."

As she said these last words she peered over her spectacles at me, Ron, and Hermione, who seemed to be specifically avoiding her gaze. She half smiled and looked from face to face, seeming to pause at the corner of the table. I followed her eyes and saw a familiar angular face looking back with a completely blank expression. Though his face gave nothing away, his ears seemed to be reddening. McGonagall cleared her throat and clapped her hands together.

"Now. I expect you will all want to go to your new common room and enjoy your first night back. The password is 'vera verto'."

Upon entering our brand new common room, I was taken aback. Instead of the typical stuffy and sherry scented mask of the old Divination room, it was now a beautiful shade of red and smelled like summer. On the left there were plush silver chairs with purple blankets draped over them. The fireplace was in the righthand corner with a welcoming green sofa being warmed next to it. A giant rug laid in the center of the room, which had all the house colors woven into it. There were black and silver poufs scattered about the room and a pile of warm blankets in the corner. As I looked around, the color of the wall seemed to fade out, turning yellow.

I blinked a few times, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. Hermione nudged my arm and said that she thought McGonagall had bewitched it to change from one house color to another every few minutes. As she spoke the color faded again, turning green. I looked around the room again. Straight ahead were two doorways, one labeled 'Witches' the other labeled 'Wizards'. I assumed that in all the reparations done to the castle, having this room adjusted to make room for a new class was simple enough.

I noticed a small poster board between the two doors with a single piece of parchment stuck onto it. Neville, Luna and Pansy were all looking at it, Pansy was running her finger down a list of some sort. I looked at Ron and Hermione and they both seemed to have noticed this piece of parchment as well.

As a crowd formed around it, I noticed that Draco Malfoy was sitting on the couch in front of the fire place. Deciding to myself that I'd look at the parchment after the crowd had died down, I went over to join him. When I approached, I realized that I had nothing to say to him. The firelight cast sharp shadows on his angular face, and there was something in his eyes that made me wish I had just left him alone. As I began to retreat, he looked up at me. I looked back at him waiting for something- anything- to come out of my mouth. After what seemed like hours I spoke.

"How was your summer?" As soon as these words left my mouth I wished that I had somehow set my trousers on fire, just to give me an excuse to leave. How thick can I get? "How was your summer?"? Of course it was bloody awful! His father was sent to Azkaban for Merlin's sake!

"It was fine." he replied, his eyes narrowing.

"That's.. good to hear." I said, followed by a stupid laugh. "Enjoying the fire?" Oh someone just kill me now. What is wrong with me. I'd rather Voldemort himself show up in this very room than look at Draco Malfoy ever again.

"What do you want, Potter." Draco sneered, falling back into old habits.

"Nothing, Mal-Draco. I just wanted to see how you were doing." I decided last names were for the past.

"I'm fine. Sod off. It's not like we have anything to say to each other anyways." And then he turned to look at the fire, a platinum blonde hair falling in front of his face. I nodded and turned around, noticing the crowd had dispersed.

As I began to walk over to the parchment, Ron grabbed my arm in a death grip and yanked me over to the edge of the common room.

"WHAT?" I asked, ripping my arm from his vice like grip.

"Have you read room assignments?" He asked with a look on his face like he might vomit and laugh at the same time.

"Room assignments?" My eyes flicked over to the parchment on the posterboar. "No, I was just about to when you practically ripped my arm off." As I said this I rubbed my arm where his hand had been.

"Right, sorry. I'm rooming with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, so I don't have it too bad." He glanced over at Neville, lowering his voice. "I hear poor old Neville is rooming with Blaise Zabini. Merlin knows what's gonna happen to him." Ron swallowed, looking at Neville like he was a dying man.

Suddenly a thought struck me. "Wait.. If you're with Dean and Seamus, and Neville is with Blaise... that leaves me with... with..." I turned toward Draco Malfoy sitting on the couch.

Ron nodded and then laughed out loud, smacking my back, and causing Malfoy to scowl our direction. He stood up in annoyance and walked over to the posterboard, looking for which room to go to. He slid a long pale finger down the list and froze. He double checked. Dropping his hand, he angled his face as if he were going to look at me, but then seemed to decide against it. He turned his back, heading straight for the dormitories.

I turned back to Ron, seeing tears rolling from his eyes. He was doubled over with laughter. Hermione came over and rested a hand on my shoulder, I assume it was meant for comfort, but then she began laughing along with Ron. I shrugged her hand off and marched up to my room, leaving them to lean on each other in fits of laughter.

I slowly turned the knob to my room and pushed the door open. It was dimly lit by the moonlight, so I could see the layout of the room. There were two beds with the headboards touching the right wall, two windows on the left wall and a single bureau in between the beds. The bed closest to the door had its curtains drawn, and I'm sure Draco was tucked in bed with a scowl on his sleeping face. Realizing how tired I was, I closed the door quietly and tiptoed over to my bed. Not bothering to change into nighttime attire, I laid on top of my sheets and fell asleep rather quickly.

When I awoke the next morning, the curtains from Draco's bed had been drawn back, and the bed was now vacant. I sat up and stretched my aching arms, noticing I hadn't even taken off my shoes before I fell asleep. I stripped off my clothes and wrapped a towel around my waist, heading to the washroom to shower.

The warm water felt nice on my skin, and I automatically felt more refreshed. As I was washing my hair I heard a faint humming coming from the shower next to me. Surely they knew I was in here? Soon the humming turned into very poor singing. I think it was a song from the new Weird Sister's album, but the notes are so off key I can't be sure. I stood there for a few seconds letting the shampoo run down my chest, just listening to this atrocious noise that might be mistaken for singing and stifling my laughter.

After about two minutes of this, I realized my hair was clean of shampoo and I decided I had had enough of this screeching. I quickly grabbed my towel and turned off the water. The singing voice had gone mute shortly after my water stream stopped. Not wanting to see who was in that stall, I practically ran back up to my room.

As I was drying off I was chuckling to myself and making internal jokes about my experience. No sooner had I buckled my trousers did my dormitory door open, and in walked a dripping Malfoy. As soon as I saw his wet hair I realized; he was the one singing in the bathroom. I choked down laughter and turned my back to him, pulling my shirt on and knotting my tie. When I turned back around he was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Potter." He said, venom in every syllable.

"Mal-Draco." I replied, a faint smile on my lips. Nothing could put me down now.

"It's rather unfortunate we were put together, eh? I'd assume you'd want to be with that red-headed git."

"Mhmm." Where this would usually boil my blood, I smiled even wider, now realizing I could tell Ron about Draco's singing.

Draco flicked damp hair from his eyes and tilted his head, probably wondering why I wasn't getting angry. I turned and grabbed my Rucksack off my bed post, headed to breakfast to share this story. Right when I was about to close the door I paused.

"You really should join choir, with a voice like that."

I saw a flicker of horror and realization flash across Malfoy's face, and with that I snapped the door shut.

When I first told them what I witnessed that morning, Ron had full on drenched Neville and his food with a mouthful of pumpkin juice. After the laughter died down, Hermione cast a drying charm onto Neville's clothes, and Ron gave him an apology, though Neville said that hearing this story about Malfoy was apology enough. After that, we all went to our assigned classes.

I had Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts with Blaise, Neville, Ron, Malfoy, and Pansy. Upon arrival in the dark dungeons I realized that I had no idea who our teacher would be. Now that Snape was gone, who would be the professor? I thought back and tried to remember if I had seen a new teacher amongst the grand table, but McGonagall hadn't mentioned any newcomers.

As if answering my silent question, I heard a swish of robes and most of us turned to look at the doorway. When no one appeared over there, I looked around the room for the source of the sound. The room was empty except for other students. Until-no. No way. Impossible. My heart pounded in my chest and I'm sure everyone in the room could hear it. Looking at me from across the dimly lit classroom were two beady dark eyes, separated by a large, hooked nose. I grabbed at Ron's arm and pointed. He followed the direction of my finger and I watched as the blood drained from his face. Severus Snape glared at me, and then turned as if to walk to the left, but then disappeared. My eyes shot around the room trying to find him again. Behind the desk he appeared. Not in the flesh but... in a picture frame? I looked back at where I had seen him before, and realized now that there was a floor length frame surrounding the dark area of which he stood.

"Good morning, class." Snape said, grabbing everyone's attention and causing many people to gasp, and Neville to fall straight out of his chair. Ignoring the outbursts, Snape continued. "Welcome to Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts." He looked around the room at all of us, Neville peeking up over his desk, Malfoy stoic as ever, all the others still looking at him with shock on their faces. His black eyes landed on mine and then glanced down at my hand which was still -embarrassingly- grasped onto Ron's arm.

I let go quickly and said "Hello, professor."

He nodded curtly. "Potter."

He directed us on how to begin today's class. After what seemed like hours of listening to his instructions, he finished with a standard, 'That will be all.' and sent us on our way. Snape and I had one final mutual nod, and I could swear that the corners of his mouth twitched up for a split second.

Ron and I made our way to Herbology, which Professor Sprout still taught. Neville seemed to be having the time of his life, talking to her about all the upcoming topics of class. Ron and I rolled our eyes at each other while trying to tackle our Venomous Tentacula plant.

After classes were finished, we headed to the great hall for lunch. Hermione let us know that she was headed to the library to get a start on her homework, and left after quickly kissing Ron goodbye. I was happy about their relationship, and it was nice to see them holding hands and being happy together. After 6 or 7 years of them denying their feelings for each other, I gladly allowed public displays of affection, just as long as they didn't get too crazy.

I looked around at Cho and remembered our short relationship. She seemed happy, though I'm not sure she was seeing anyone. I heard from Ron that Ginny was seeing some random 7th year, and was apparently planning to try out for the Holyhead Harpies. I smiled to myself, picturing Ginny flying around a large Quidditch pitch.

I realized that I was staring at Draco again, and he -again- was staring back at me. This time, since there was nothing stopping me, I got up and made my way over to him, sitting down in the empty space he left between him and Neville. He was watching me the entire time I walked, no sign of annoyance on his face. When I sat down, instead of his usual 'Potter.' sneer, he simply nodded and looked back at his food. Blaise and Pansy were both watching me curiously, probably wondering if there was going to be a fight. I took a deep breath and tried not to say anything stupid.

"Sleep well?" I asked, trying not to sound creepy.

"Very. Thanks." As that last word came out of his mouth he clenched his jaw as if it hurt him to say that to me. "Seeing Snape in Defense Against the Dark Arts was rather odd." He added.

"Yeah, when I saw him I almost fell out of my seat." I said, tilting my head slightly toward Neville.

I saw a flicker of a smile appear on his lips, but he quickly looked down at his food and nodded. Assuming the conversation was over, I stood up and patted him lightly on the shoulder, it was a lot more firm and muscular than I thought it would be. He sort of flinched, but then relaxed and looked at my hand. His eyes followed my feet as I walked to my original seat. Ron looked at me questioningly and I shrugged, glancing back at Malfoy who's ears were now slightly pink. I wondered if maybe, after all our history, we might be able to become friends.

Later that night in the common room, Ron and I were playing a game of exploding snap. Soon Blaise and Pansy walked up to us and timidly asked if they could join. With quizzical looks from Ron, I invited them into the game. Soon after them joining, Neville and Millicent Bulstrode joined, drawing even more attention. It wasn't too long before all the people in the common room were playing. About 20 minutes into the game, Hermione walked in laughing with- with- Malfoy? I open mouthed gaped at them. Ron, wondering why I had stopped playing, looked at where I was looking, forming an identical expression to my own.

"I know, I know, it does seem rather odd, but I swear! He took if from me and threw it straight across the garden!" Draco said, smile growing a little wider as Hermione threw her head back in laughter.

"That's absurd!" She laughed, "A right proper gentleman, too!" She and Draco were practically falling on each other.

Ron, coming to his senses, closed his mouth and stood up a little forcefully, causing him to stumble. He walked over, faster than was necessary and grabbed Hermione's hand, looking at Draco suspiciously.

"Malfoy." Draco's smile faltered.

"Weasley." He said with a controlled voice.

Seeming to notice the tension, Hermione smiled once more at Draco and then dragged Ron over to the couch by the fire. After Draco dropped his gaze from them, he looked around the room and saw me looking at him.

"Potter."

"Malfoy. Care to play a round of exploding snap?"

Draco ruffled his eyebrows and shrugged. "Sure. Why not."

He then came over and gracefully plopped down on the pouf Ron had recently vacated. He draped his long arm against the side of it and leaned back, keeping eye contact with me. I dealt him a few cards, and as he grabbed the cards from my hand his index finger softly brushed up against the back of my hand. Ignoring the chills caused by his cool touch, I explained the rules of the game. He nodded his comprehension, grey eyes watching me from above his little fan of cards. I felt as though there was an exploding snap card inside my chest that wouldn't stop combusting.

What's my problem? It's just Malfoy. I've hated his guts for years, so why am I suddenly all nervous because of his gaze? I shrugged off the thought and enjoyed the game we played. It was fun to watch a card explode in Draco's hand because he always jumped back a bit, causing blonde strands of hair to fall in his face, only to be flicked away with a quick tilt of his head. I was enthralled at how long and graceful his pale fingers were, picking up each card precariously. He had rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt to his elbows and I could practically see every vein running down his arms.

After about an hour of playing, he stretched his long, graceful arms above his head, revealing a tiny part of his lower stomach. He tilted his head to rest on the back of the pouf, exposing his long, pale neck. His adam's apple moved up and down as he groaned into the stretch. With a rather loud grunt he let his arms fall on the edges of the Pouf and looked back down at me. I realized my lips were slightly parted. He looked around the room, and I took this opportunity to close my mouth and smooth out my hair.

He turned back to me with a sigh. "Well, I suppose we should take everyone else's lead and get to bed."

I blinked confusedly and looked around. To my surprise, the common room was nearly empty, except for Ron and Hermione snoozing on the couch by the fire.

"Yeah, I guess we should." I gathered the cards as Malfoy stood up, brushing off his neatly pressed trousers.

The disturbance of the air sent the smell of his cologne into the air, it smelled like crisp apples and a storm. As I stood up, I noticed that Draco was looking at me. His hands tucked lazily in his pockets, one sleeve of his shirt longer than the other. A few of his blonde hairs were resting delicately on his temples.

Not knowing what else to do, I held my hand out.

"Nice game, Draco." I said with a slight smile.

He grasped my hand firmly, sending shock waves throughout my body.

"You too, Potter. You, too."

I stopped by the bathroom on the way up to my room, quickly brushing my teeth. I walked up the few stairs to my dormitory, pushing open the door to find that it was dark again. The moon was casting light into the room, and I noticed that Draco had left the curtains to his bed open this time. I smiled a bit to myself as I changed into my pajamas. When I turned back around I could swear I saw Draco's eyes shutting. Had he been watching me? I blushed slightly at the thought of it and plopped down onto my sheets, looking over at Draco's bed. Silk sheets. Of course. Plonker.

The blue tinted moonlight washed over him and made him look almost angelic. His chest rising and falling, the angular shape of his face being emphasized by the shadow. His delicate and soft hands laying outside of the covers. I turned over and closed my eyes, the image of him still on my mind. I smiled. Silk Sheets. Plonker.

The next day after breakfast (which was mainly spent watching Draco's hands gracefully wave as he spoke and how his Adam's apple moved up and down with each swallow) Professor Sprout was pairing us up with one other person of which we would spend a majority of the semester raising Mandrakes. I remember our second year at Hogwarts when we had to transfer Mandrakes into bigger pots. Even then it was a hassle to get them to cooperate, let alone raising one from a baby to an adult Mandrake and then using it to create Mandrake Restorative Draught. I turned my focus back onto Professor Sprout when I heard my name being called.

"Harry Potter... You'll be paired with... Hm.. Draco Malfoy."

I continued to stare at her as if I hadn't actually heard those words come out of her mouth. Why did this make me so happy? A year ago I'd sooner lock myself in a room with all the screaming mandrakes in the world than to be paired up with Draco for anything. I turned and looked at Draco, who was prodding a pile of dirt with his graceful finger, his ears turing a deep shade of red. I casually pulled my things into a pile and made my way over to him. I noticed that everyone was staring, and Ron was giving me a look as if he was sorry for me.

I set my stuff down on the table next to him.

"Hey." I said quietly, which he replied to with a chin tilt directed at me.

Of course Ron and Hermione were paired together, and Dean and Seamus were paired, and basically everyone else who was compatible were paired together, but then there were Malfoy and me. Completely and utterly incompatible.

"So uh... had much experience with Mandrakes?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.

"No, not really. Aside from 2nd year, but its been a while since then, ey Potter?" As he said this he met my gaze with those intense eyes of his.

"Yeah," I laughed. "It has been a while."

I smiled a bit, but he looked away toward something near my elbow. Leaning toward me, he outstretched his hand to grab something, his neck coming dangerously close to my mouth. I inhaled and closed my eyes. I felt as if I were in an apple orchard right after it had rained. Fresh and cool and sweet. I wanted to rest my forehead on his strong shoulder and never stop breathing in.

"Potter." My eyes flew open to see Draco sitting back in his normal position with a confused look on his face. "You alright? Seem to have dozed off for a second there. Then again, your expression is typically vacant, so I guess that's not too abnormal."

He said that last bit with a smirk, and where I would usually be angered, this time it was different. It was playful. Like he was teasing me. I nearly laughed out loud. Me and Draco teasing each other? I mean for God's sake, look at our history. He tormented me for 6 years, broke my nose, nearly knocked me off my broom, created bloody pins that said "Potter Stinks". He really hated me. Then again, I hated him too. I got his father sent to jail (twice), hit him with a sectumsempra curse that almost killed him, and basically stalked him all through 6th year. Maybe my wrongdoings are worse than his? Either way, how can we be sitting here now laughing at Hermione and Ron fighting over a name for their Mandrake? How can I be sitting here wanting to wrap my arms around his neck and inhale his scent? How can I be sitting here with butterflies in my stomach because our knees keep touching together?

Later in the common room all of us were lazing around talking about our second day back. Draco was lounging in one of the purple chairs in his typical white dress shirt and black trousers. I was leaning up against the leg of the other purple chair, in which Hermione and Ron were sitting. Draco's shirt was halfway untucked and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, as he usually does when he's finished with the day. One of his long, pale fingers was mindlessly caressing his jaw. I followed his finger with my eyes, observing the few splattered freckles along his jawline. I imagined kissing his jawline, right on that freckle. Moving my way down his neck and onto his porcelain chest. His tie was loose, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. I wanted to go up and straddle his legs and kiss him. Inhale him. Taste him. I wanted him. Now.

Unbeknownst to me, the entire time I was imagining this, my body was reacting the way it would if I were really doing these things. I could feel the heat in between my legs, creating quite an obvious tent in my trousers. Not knowing what else to do, I pulled my knees up to my chest and hoped nobody had noticed.

I glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and when my eyes fell on Draco I saw that he was looking right where I hoped no one was. His lips slightly parted, finger paused on his temple, grey eyes unblinking. Suddenly he came back to life, adjusting in his seat and crossing his legs. His grey eyes met mine and he gave me a look that I had never seen on him before. Was that... desire? His eyes seemed to darken and his blonde eye lashes flickered, but he did not blink. He stared straight into me. Through me. I practically passed out under his gaze, my erection growing stronger, and to my surprise, he was forming one too. He tried adjusting his position one more time, untucking his shirt completely and placing it in a well formed pile. Even this did not contain the very large erection forming under his clothes. He folded his hands very discretely, though it did not do much help. I looked around, grabbing a blanket off the arm of the chair Ron and Hermione were sitting on. I tossed it to him with a wicked smile.

"You look a bit... cold." I muttered.

He quickly placed the blanket in his lap and smirked at me.

"Thanks. I am." He replied, the tips of his ears turning red.

I turned my attention across the room to try and distract myself. Dean and Seamus were in the corner curled up with one another. Seamus in Dean's lap with Dean's arm wrapped around him. They both appeared to be snoozing, Dean's cheek rested on the top of Seamus' head. I smiled to myself and looked to where Neville and Cho were across the room, discussing what they would do to take care of their Mandrake. I watched them point to different things in their Herbology book and get excited about small details, saying who would buy what and when they could get it.

After a while of watching their conversation, I glanced back at Malfoy who was now resting his head on his fist. It seemed that his delicate wrist wouldn't be able to hold up such a weight, but his stance was unfaltering.

Noticing I was a bit more calmed down, I decided to head up to bed before my mind began wandering again. Bidding Ron and Hermione goodnight I walked up to my room. Even though there was not a sleeping Draco to disturb, I still did not turn on the lights. I passed by his bed and sat on my own, facing his stupid silk sheets. I smiled to myself looking at his silky grey pillow, noticing that it matched his eyes.

Then a thought occurred to me. That pillow smelled like him. I could press my face into it and finally, finally inhale as much of him as I wanted. I stood up slowly, my heartbeat in my fingertips, and took two paces to his bed. I rubbed my hand against his pillow and damn it felt so soft. As soft as his skin. I knelt down on my knees, bending my face down and closing my eyes. I let my nose brush up against his pillow, pressing my face in further the more I inhaled. God he smelled so good. I felt a sense of calm wash over me as I pressed my face further into his pillow. It was cold against my hot face. I could stay here for eternity.

Regretfully, I pulled away and began to stand. I froze mid-rise. There in the moonlight, standing near the doorway, was Draco. He was looking down at me, not a hint of emotion on his face. He had his hands lazily placed in his pockets, his shirt untucked. His hair was disheveled as his tie, yet he was still graceful and posh as always. The moonlight made his eyes stand out more than usual. I didn't know what to do. What stupid excuse could I make up for this? Sorry thought I lost something on your pillow so I was looking REALLY closely. With my eyes closed. For a long time.

I swear the sun rose and set 6 times before he blinked or made any movement at all. He gracefully sat down on his bed, bringing his legs up and turning his torso towards me. He placed one hand centimeters next to mine on the bed, and slowly kissed my cheek, lingering a second and then shifted his head to kiss my other cheek, letting his lips brush up against mine. He exhaled slightly, blowing hot air into my ear and down my neck, pulling away shortly after. After he did this, he turned his back to me and laid still. I got up silently and crawled into my bed, my mind and body going wild. Could this be real?


	2. The Mandrake Named Drarry

I awoke the next day still feeling Draco's lips on my cheek. I slowly rolled over, wishing I could just go back to sleep. I talked myself into getting out of bed with the promise of eggs and pancakes in the great hall. I struggled as I opened my eyes, but once I did, my breath caught in my throat.

Draco was casually leaning up against his headboard with wire spectacles on the bridge of his angular nose. His silky blue pajama top was unbuttoned, and his porcelain white chest looked warm under the lamplight. In his delicate hands was a rather large book, and he licked his thumb as he went to turn the page, his grey eyes flicking from word to word. I watched him for as long as I could bear. After so long it became difficult for me to keep from stepping over there and running my hands underneath that open shirt of his.

I sat up with a groan, pretending I had just woken up. I stretched my arms up in the air and tried to look as great as he did that night we were playing exploding snap. I knew I would never really succeed in that, though. Without looking at him, I stood up, took off my shirt and socks, and began digging around in my trunk for a clean towel. As I was doing this, I was sure to pay attention and listen for page turnings, which I did not hear. I was sure that he would have read at least three pages if he were actually paying attention to his book.

With a smirk, I swung my towel over my shoulder and headed to the washroom to take a shower. As I was washing, I began to think about Draco's singing the morning before. I actually laughed out loud when I remembered his face right before I shut the door. Then I remembered last night and the sweet, cool smell of Draco's pillow. The soft kisses he left on my cheeks. His lips brushing against mine. His warm breath on my neck.

Let's just say that shower as especially long.

As I walked back into my room, water dripping on my chest and back, I couldn't help but look over at Draco. Still lounging, open shirt, on his bed. Not a care in the world. He looked up at me over his glasses in a shockingly Dumbledore way.

"Morning, Potter." He said, the whisper of a smile on his soft lips.

"Morning, Draco." I replied, trying to calm the flutterings in my stomach caused by his gaze.

I pulled my towel up and dried off my upper body, rubbing the towel through my hair as I did so. I sneaked a peek at Draco in the mirror as I was drying and he was observing my back as if he were about to jump up and grab me. I hung my towel up on the bedpost and pulled on my trousers. Sliding a button-down shirt on, I made sure to leave it open as I pulled on my shoes and socks, giving him a taste of his own medicine. I heard him swallow.

Standing up, I buttoned my shirt and tucked it into my pants, pulling a vest on, followed by my robes. I could feel his eyes on me, his gaze lingering, but not once did I dare to look at him. I grabbed my Rucksack and my wand, throwing a 'See you later.' behind me as I left.

I smiled all the way to breakfast.

* * *

Most of the walk to Defense Against the Dark Arts included Hermione and Ron talking about how excited they were to plant their Mandrakes and see how quickly they grow. I watched as Neville and Cho conversed with them, just like parents talking about new born children. After most of us had sat down and turned to the chapter we left off yesterday, Snape appeared in the portrait behind his desk. He instructed the class to pack up their things, saying he had something special planned for us today.

"Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, and Zabini approach my portrait, please." Snape said as I was walking to the door.

The four of us approached, afraid of what was going to happen. "Potter and Weasley, on my right. Malfoy and Zabini on my left. I need the four of you to carry me to the greenhouse where I will be instructing today's class. Please, try your best to not trip or shake me around, it is not a pleasant feeling, and I will be sure to make your detention just as bad."

Ron grabbed the top of the frame and I grabbed the lower middle, Blaise and Draco mirroring on the other side. We carried Snape at a very acute slope, careful not to drop him. I could smell Draco's apple crisp scent all the way down, it was quite distracting.

As we approached the greenhouses, Snape instructed Ron to grab a stool on which he could be set. To accommodate to this change in weight distribution, Draco reached one of his hands around to my side of the portrait, to make sure it did not topple over. His hand was so close to my face, I just wanted to rest my cheek on it. To kiss his delicate, pale fingers.

Thoughts cut short by Snape's demanding voice, we all trudged over and set him up against the wall and the stool. From his new spot, Snape told us to pull our wands and try a Aqua Eructo charm to clean the greenhouse glass. Unfortunately for Neville, his stream of water went directly for Snape's portrait. Soaking wet and fuming, he gave Neville a month of detentions, sending him to the farthest side of the greenhouse to clean.

After the glass was sparkling, he dismissed the class, calling me and Draco back up to him. He asked, "You two can manage carrying me from here to my classroom, correct?"

I glanced at Draco who was nodding, so I nodded along with him, unsure of if I actually could. I grabbed the left side, Draco grabbed the right, and together we hoisted Snape up to a reasonable level, being careful to watch the degree of the tilt. We carefully brought him back down to the classroom, hanging him gently on the wall. He thanked us and sent us on our way. As Draco and I were walking to Herbology (which was right after Defense Against the Dark Arts) we kept brushing the backs of our hands together. Whether by accident or intentional, I'm not sure.

Draco inhaled sharply, turning his face slightly to look down at me.

"So, Potter. Mandrakes. Can't believe I'm stuck with you for that and housing." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, I guess you just can't get rid of me." I glanced at him to see that he was smiling. Really, smiling.

As we walked past a corridor, I felt a sharp pain on my side. Suddenly I was being shoved into a classroom. The door slammed shut behind me, and I was pinned up against the wall by my hands, held up above my head. It took a few seconds for my eyes adjust to the darkness, but when they did, I saw Draco's face just centimeters away from mine.

"Malfoy! What the bloody hell are you doing!" I yelled, trying to get my hands free.

"That was a nice display you put on this morning, Potter. Dressing slowly. Teasing me. Who do you think you are?" Anger and desire thick in his eyes.

"What are you on about Malfoy? Let me go!" I said, trying to get my hands free.

He let my hands go but did not step back, I was still stuck unless I planned on knocking him over. I couldn't tell what he was trying to do. Was he angry? He was smiling no more than a minute ago. What is his problem?

"Why do you insist on going against what you actually want?" Malfoy asked, "I'm just trying to help you get to where you really want to be."

"Move you tosser, the only place I'm trying to get is far away from you."

I tried to push him out of my way, but he pinned my hips against the wall. He was surprisingly strong, regardless of how delicate his wrists and fingers looked. He leaned his face to where his mouth was right under my ear and whispered, "We both know that's not true."

"Malfoy, wh-" I began to ask what he was talking about, but I was cut off when I felt his warm, soft lips press against my neck. He kissed and nibbled his way down to my collarbone where he sucked, making my eyes roll back and my head lean back on the wall I was pinned to. I wrapped my arms around his slender waist and pulled his body towards me, putting my thigh in between his legs.

He softly moaned in the crook of my neck and raised his head to look at me. Sliding his hand up my chest and around the back of my neck, he kissed me. Pressing the weight of his body onto me, his other hand wandered into my hair and tugged softly. This action caused my lips to part, and he slid his cool tongue along the inside of my lip. In response to this action, I rubbed my now hardening dick up against his leg, causing him to shiver and break our kiss. His eyes blazed into mine, dark and alert. A few of his blonde hairs were tickling my forehead as he looked down at me. I slid my arm up his back and pulled him toward me, kissing his neck right on that damned freckle. He tasted just like he smelled, sweet and cool. I inhaled his fresh scent, now littered with the smell of his sweat from carrying Snape's portrait. I felt like I was being caught up in a thunderstorm, of which I never wanted to escape.

* * *

After a long Herbology lesson full of quick glances and smirks, Ron, Hermione, Draco and I made our way up to the great hall for lunch. Instead of sitting in his usual corner, he took the seat next to me, where Pansy would usually sit. The table being empty except for the four of us and Neville, I assumed it would be alright with her were she to come up here for lunch. Hermione and Draco got along swimmingly, talking about some ridiculous book that I had never read. As I looked back and forth between them, I remembered not too many years ago when Draco looked at her as if he was about to jinx her. What's changed? I remembered that night I had seen them coming back from the library together and suddenly I wanted to know what had happened that night.

"Hermione, I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up in the library later, I need to do some reviewing on... on my essay for Auror training practice and was wondering if you could help me piece it together?" I hoped she would say yes so that I could ask her about Malfoy, though I had no intention of writing any such essay.

Hermione's eyes lit up at the word 'library'. "Yes, of course, Harry! I'd love to help you. I can meet at say... 8? I need to talk to prof..." I tuned her out after I heard a confirmation and meeting time. She said something about Snape and extra work, neither of which peaked my interest.

I leaned my leg up against Draco's, and the weight felt nice. I felt grounded.

"So, you're thinking about becoming an Auror, Potter?" Malfoy asked, sounding actually interested instead of his typical bored voice.

"Yeah, I think It's something I'd be good at."

"Incase you forgot, you did take down the darkest wizard of all time, so yes, I would have to agree when you say it might be something you're good at." There was a slightly bitter note in his tone, and I realized that I was basically the reason his father was sent to Azkaban. Again.

"Right.. I suppose that's true. I don't really think about it like that."I muttered. Draco's mouth twitched briefly into a smile and he ever so slightly shook his head.

I guess it was a bit stupid that after being hunted and threatened for 7 years by Voldemort I had practically forgotten I had finally defeated him. I looked down at my food, and mashed it around. Luna popped up next to Neville from the Ravenclaw table with a 'Hiya Harry', and Neville instantly went a dangerous shade of red. Luna, oblivious to practically everything, talked to him as though it were normal.

My eyes wandered up to the teachers table. As I looked from face to face it occurred to me that I hadn't been to see Hagrid the entire time I've been here. I turned to Ron and Hermione, announcing that I was going to Hagrid's hut and asked if they wanted to go. They explained that they had been earlier between Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. I blushed slightly thinking about my activities during that time. I nodded and patted Draco on the back as I left, practically running out of the great hall.

* * *

I knocked on Hagrids door, observing a few burn marks on the stone as a result of Thorfinn Rowle two years ago. I remembered Snape looking down at me, revealing that he was the Half- Blood prince. I remembered Fenrir Greenback and Bellatrix Lestrange and Draco... Draco Malfoy. The boy I kissed in a dark classroom. How can the Draco now be the Draco back then. Surely they were two different people. At the creak of the door hinge, I was pulled into a rib-crushing hug that sent all thoughts of Draco out of my mind.

"HAGRID!" I yelled, half joyed to see him, half wanting him to let me go.

"Harry! Good ter see ya!" He set me down roughly, patting my shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Wanta come in fer some tea n' rock cakes?" He asked with a huge smile.

I nodded a yes and entered his warm hut. It was good to see Hagrid after so long. No matter what happens, it seems that Hagrid always stays the same dangerously friendly giant. Fang (which I heard returned after the war was over) rested his big slobbery head on my knee as usual.

Hagrid and I talked for nearly 3 hours. It was good catching up with him, and telling him everything I have been doing over the summer. He had been away while I was working on castle reparations, and upon asking why, he said he had returned Grawp to the mountains. He couldn't keep him in the forbidden forest any longer because he was growing much quicker than anticipated. Hagrid let him go not too far from Hogwarts, and stayed with him while he got accumulated to his new surroundings. We talked about the war and the losses, about the changes it has caused in the wizarding world. We talked about my classes and McGonagall becoming Headmistress. It was nearly 7:30 when I realized that I had asked Hermione to meet me up in the library.

I thanked Hagrid for the tea and rock cakes (which were now shoved in my pockets), endured another bone crushing hug, and went on my way to the library. I arrived at around 7:50 and walked up and down the isles looking for an empty spot in which to talk about Draco. I found a nice little desk up against a wall with plenty of room to talk at a normal volume and not disturb anyone else. Remembering that I had told Hermione that I needed her to help me with my Auror training paper (which is not actually something I have to write), I took out a bit of parchment and wrote down a few ideas, just so it seemed that I had at least started on it. Hermione arrived exactly on time, as usual, and snatched the parchment off the desk to see what I had written.

"This is it?" She asked, looking disappointed in me.

"Uh, yeah.. I really don't know where to begin."

She gave me a pitying look. "Why don't you begin with explaining why you want to become an Auror."

"Um... Because... I took down the greatest wizard of all time and I was pretty damn good at it?" Remembering what Draco had said earlier.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Alright I guess that's a start."

After 30 minutes of her correcting my grammar on this unassigned paper, I turned to her and said. "I need a break from Auror talk."

She sighed, "You're never going to get it done if you keep taking breaks."

"I know, I know, but I just need one break and then I promise I'll finish it. It's not due for another week anyways." I looked at her pleadingly.

She crossed her arms. "Finnee."

I smiled and pushed my parchment aside, eager to talk about Draco. "So, umm.. things are going well with Ron, yeah?"

She blushed and smiled. "Yeah.." She poked at my parchment with her quill seemingly lost in thought. She looked at me teasingly. "What about you? Any girls peak your interest?"

Well... not exactly GIRLS but... I laughed. "Nahh no girls this year. Not like I have much choice anyhow, there only being 11 of us."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I suppose.. You could find a nice 7th year, I'm sure any of them would be ecstatic to date 'The Boy Who Lived Twice'" She laughed and nudged my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever." I gave her a small smile.

I missed having time to talk to Hermione, she was either studying or doing things with Ron. It was nice to just be able to relax with her for a while. She began telling me about her experiences rooming with Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson and how Pansy sometimes sleep talks. We were practically doubled over with laughter from the stories she was telling.

After getting a rather rude hush from a 7th year down the isle Hermione lowered her voice and leaned in. "So, any more singing tales with Malfoy?" We both had to clasp our hands over our mouths to stifle our laughter.

I shook my head. "Nah, none so far." I gave her a big grin.

She smiled back and looked down at the table. After a second of thought she said. "He really has seemed to change, you know. Draco, I mean. He's quite.. nice, actually." She looked at me expectantly.

I nodded, glad that the conversation had finally turned where I wanted it to go. "Yeah, he has changed I think. I don't know why, but it surely makes things a lot easier."

"I agree. I was in the library the other day and he was reading the book I need for Advanced Charms. I suppose he noticed I kept glancing over to see if he was finished, and he came over to ask if I needed anything from him. I'm assuming that he thought I was seeing if he was going to whip out his dark mark and recall Voldemort from the dead or something." At this she chuckled and looked at me. "He really was polite about it though, and I just told him that I need that book to look something up for class and he happily handed it over. I invited him to sit with me and we started talking about dumb stories from his first few years in the Slytherin house." She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair thoughtfully. "I guess people really can change."

She finished and fiddled at a thread on her jeans, but then looked at me hopefully. I smiled at her and nodded, glad that Hermione found him as different and charming as I did. It was 10 by the time we left, stomachs aching with laughter and a useless Auror training essay in hand.

"Vera verto." Hermione said, as we entered the common room.

Not many people were still awake. Pansy and Millicent were in the corner talking about something excitedly, Blaise, Seamus and Dean were lounging around on Poufs talking about their Mandrakes. Ron was on the couch near the fire dozing with a book on his lap, probably waiting up for Hermione.

Hermione gestured to Ron and rolled her eyes as she blushed slightly. I thanked her for helping me and kissed her cheek goodnight, a whisp of her frizzy hair tickling my nose as she turned to go wake Ron. I always appreciated how Hermione smelled, just like flowers and cakes. I watched as she roused him from his sleep by brushing his hair back and planting a kiss on his forehead, smiling down at him lovingly. They truly were a perfect match.

I climbed the stairs, tired from a long day. I creaked the door open slowly, not wanting to wake Draco. Silently I changed into my pajamas and pulled back my sheets, sitting on my bed. As I was about to lay down, I looked over and saw Draco's handsome face being illuminated by the moonlight as always. His beautiful blonde hairs resting neatly on his forehead. I remembered Hermione and Ron downstairs.

Before I actually knew what I was doing, I stood up and walked over to Draco's bed. Sitting down, I slowly reached a hand up, pushing his soft hair away from his face. I ran my fingers through his hair slowly and then kissed his smooth forehead gently, inhaling as I did this. I stood, and right before I stepped away, I felt cool fingers slide around my wrist. I turned, shocked and slightly afraid, and looked down at him. He looked up at me sleepily, a smile whispering his lips, and pulled back the covers, as if he wanted me to lay down next to him.

He let go of my wrist, patting those damn silk sheets and outstretched his arm. I timidly sat and laid down next to him, sure that I was misinterpreting his actions, but he laid the sheets over me and wrapped a warm arm around my stomach, tucking his face where I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. I scooted backwards a bit and felt his warm chest on my back, inflating and deflating with his breathing.

I closed my eyes and was engulfed in his sweet stormy scent, he tightened the arm that was around my waist and kissed the back of my neck softly. It sent chills running down my back and a smile was instantly glued to my face. I fell asleep within seconds, and damn those sheets felt nice.

* * *

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed. Putting on my glasses, I looked over at my watch on the bureau which said the time was 6:30, an hour earlier than I would typically wake up. My left hand was entangled in Draco's, our fingers lazily hanging on one another's. I could feel his angular nose in the crook of my neck, his lips grazing my shoulder every once in a while. I gently brushed my thumb against the back of his smooth hand in a circular motion, listening to his breathing. He inhaled deeply and tightened his arm around my torso, bringing my body flush against his. He mmm'd in his sleep, tucking his face closer to my neck. I could feel his eye lashes flutter open against the back of my neck. I continued tracing my thumb against the back of his hand and waited for him to say something.

After a few minutes of watching how the sun's rays changed in the sunset, and listening to the sound of our breathing, he inhaled sharply.

"Morning." He said. I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Morning, Draco." I replied, a smile forming on my lips.

"Sleep well?" He asked as he inhaled deeply, rolling over onto his back, removing one of his arms from around me.

"Yes, I did. You?"

"Quite." I could hear his hand rubbing against his face.

I turned over to my other side so that I could see him. He was rubbing his hand against his forehead, pushing it into his hair and he opened his grey eyes. Letting his left arm plop down onto the bed, he secured his right arm right around me, pulling me halfway on top of him.

I pulled my right leg up over his legs and rested my head and my right arm on his chest, fiddling with a button on his pajama shirt. His left hand met my right hand, delicate fingers lightly tracing designs on the back of it, making the hairs on my arm stand up. He kissed the top of my head gently and brought his right hand up to play with my hair. I tugged at the button on his pajamas and it opened, revealing part of his smooth chest. I slowly spread my fingers out on his chest and brought them back together, the action kind of reminded me of how an octopus moves.

I laughed to myself a bit, here I am in bed with Draco Malfoy of all people, and I'm thinking of a bloody octopus.

He shifted his hips a little bit, angling himself to press more so into my body. This slight shift caused me to roll more toward him and the leg on top of his legs to push out more, pressing his warm hip in between my legs. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down, but his smooth fingers on my hand, in my hair, and sometimes gently brushing up against my neck was arousing me and I couldn't stop it. I shifted my hips a little farther back so that I wasn't pressed right up on him, but I knew that he had probably already felt my erection against his leg before I pulled away.

Suddenly his left hand moved from my hand to the leg I had draped across him. His right arm moved from my hair to around my waist, and in one movement he successfully pulled my body towards him, pressing my dick up against his hip, and pulling my leg up to his waist where his dick was hard and pulsing. The sudden feel of his arousal caused me to gasp and I was a bit embarrassed.

Unsure of what to do, I tilted my head to look up at him. His eyes were closed, and his brow was a bit furrowed. It was then that I realized he was as nervous as I was. I acted on instinct, grinding my hips onto him and kissing his neck, I wrapped my right hand around the back of his neck and into his soft hair, pulling him closer to me. I sucked gently where I was kissing, releasing and letting my lips graze against his neck all the way up to his jaw, right underneath his ear, where I kissed and nibbled until he shivered beneath me.

I gently kissed his cheeks, his chin, his forehead, his nose, and then I slowly kissed his lips. Parting my lips slightly, I inhaled as he exhaled and I gently grabbed his lower lip with my teeth, pulling back and letting it go. In reaction to this, he pulled me down towards him and kissed me deeply, pushing his tongue in between my lips and squeezing my body against him. His thumb rested against my cheek, and the other four fingers wrapped around the back of my neck were bringing me to him like I was the last glass of water on earth.

He tasted like sweet melon and apples, the smell of his skin making me feel lost. I ran my hand down his chest and pushed it underneath his shirt, wrapping my fingers around his waist. I pulled his slender hips toward me, rubbing our two erections together roughly. This move caused him to break our kiss and gasp, his head plopping back onto his pillow, his eyes closing. He bit his lip and laced one of his hands in my hair, knotting his slender fingers and tugging. I pressed my hips against him again, his eyes opening quickly and closing again, lips parted. I looked down at him, savoring the look on his face. His furrowed brow, eyes moving under his thin eyelids causing his blonde eyelashes to go wild. I rubbed my hand against his smooth lower stomach, letting my pinky graze just underneath his waistband. As I did this his eyes shot open, grey eyes darkened, he lifted his head and looked at me, eyebrows pulling together.

He flipped us over, this time resting my head on his pillow, his hands wandering all over my body. He flicked off his shirt, revealing his porcelain white chest, and with a snap of his fingers all of my buttons were undone as well. He parted my shirt as he kissed his way down my neck, tongue lashing out every once in a while. His hand was placed on my waist, pressing me down into the mattress. His weight felt so good on my body.

He kissed my chest softly, and then nibbled and sucked the rest of the way down. After he got past my belly button he kissed and sucked, pressing his tongue down very forcefully, which felt amazing. I looked down at him, and damn he looked so good at this angle. Muscular arms grabbing my hips, face creating perfect angles against the rising sun, his blonde hairs tickling my stomach as he kissed. His grey eyes flashed up at me while he kissed his way back up my chest, trailing light kisses behind. He laid on top of me, one leg between my legs, kissing me and running his fingers through my hair. We laid there until the absolute last minute, calming down and placing light kisses on each other's faces, my fingers brushing up and down his smooth arms and back. We got up slowly, and I pulled on my normal clothes missing the feel of his silky sheets against my skin.

* * *

Later that day in Herbology, Draco and I were sitting together, measuring the moisture of our Mandrake's soil with our wands.

"Looks good." Draco said with a smile. "Should grow into a teenager in about three weeks?"

He glanced down at our Herbology book Professor Sprout popped up behind us. "Yep! Three weeks is about righ- Neville! Watch your hands!"

Draco and I looked over just in time to see Neville pull his hand away from a particularly evil looking tentacular plant. Draco turned away, chuckling and shaking his head.

"Long bottom." He muttered softly. I smiled, only because Draco's smile is contagious.

I looked down at our Mandrake plant, shocked at how much it had grown. We would have to repot it on Monday, I wasn't looking forward to that. I looked over at Ron and Hermione who were now fussing over the drop in moisture for their Mandrake, Ron blaming Hermione and vice versa. Over the weekend Ron and I were planning to get out our brooms and play a game of Find the Snitch. I didn't have any other plans for this weekend, and I remembered that Neville, Cho, Luna and Ginny were planning on going to Hogsmeade. Ginny had approached me earlier asking if I wanted to go, but since it was two of my ex girlfriends, Neville, and Luna, I had declined. A thought occurred to me.

"Hey, Draco, um.." I paused, suddenly a little flushed at what I was about to ask him. "A group of my friends are going to Hogsmeade over the weekend and I um.. I was wondering if.. if maybe.. well, if maybe you wanted to come with us?" Draco's gaze was unwavering.

"Me? Go somewhere with you and your friends?" He chuckled, but his ears reddened a bit. "Wouldn't they think it was a bit odd that I was tagging along?"

"Well.. It's just Neville, Luna, Cho, and Ginny. What are they going to say?" I shrugged, hopeful that he'd say yes.

"Oh.. well. Longbottoms not too bad a chap." He said, glancing down the table at him. Neville had now successfully set his shirt on fire and Cho put it out with a quick wave of her wand. Draco turned back to me rolling his eyes. "well.. as far as people go, I mean. Never really talked to Ginny or Cho, not much interest in them." He looked down, ears reddening further.

I wondered if he remembered that I had dated both of them. Surely he doesn't know about my love life, as he hated my guts for 7 years before now, why would he have paid attention?

"I suppose I could make time out of my schedule to go." He still didn't look up, the redness spreading into his cheeks.

"I'd like it if you did." I said, reassuringly squeezing his hand under the table. His grey eyes met mine and he smiled a little, his whole face going pink. "We are going on Sunday after breakfast. Neville and I are going to meet up with Ginny and Luna and bring them back to the common room before we leave. Meet you there?"

He nodded in response, squeezing my hand once and letting it go, flipping a few pages in his Herbology textbook and running a graceful finger down the page.

* * *

Over the next few days, Draco and I did our usual amount of talking. About our Mandrake, now named 'Drarry' as a mixture of our names (Draco's idea), and miscellaneous chats about occasional assignments. I finished my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay today before Ron and I played Find the Snitch, wanting to get it out of the way before tomorrow when we go to Hogsmeade. I had talked to Neville, Ginny, Cho, and Luna and to my surprise they were glad to have Draco come along, and seemed to have noticed the changes in him as well. Ginny did seem a little put off, but I'm sure that's only because he and his family have tormented them for over 20 years. I'm sure she will come around once she gets to talking with him.

Draco and I have slept in our own beds since Thursday, but he did come and kiss my forehead on Friday before he had gotten into his own bed to sleep, which I found quite sweet.

We have all convened in the common room now. Neville had invited Luna up here to play a game of exploding snap, which I was now watching. Hermione was reading a book aloud to Ron, who was dozing with his head on her lap. I was sitting in one of the silver chairs on the left side of the common room, flipping through a book on Auror training. Even though I think I would be a skilled Auror, I don't think my heart is truly in it. I told myself that I wanted to be an Auror in my 4th year at Hogwarts when Mad-Eye had suggested it to me. Now that I think about it, maybe it was the fake Mad-Eye, Barty Crouch Jr.. I'm not really sure why this whole Auror thing became #1 on my job list, but I guess I'm not much good at anything else.

I heard a shriek coming from Luna. A particularly loud card had exploded right as she touched it. She erupted into a fit of giggles mumbling something about snuffelumps. Neville just watched her, not even phased. I snapped my book shut, standing up and stretching. I slowly trudged up the stairs to my room, cursing that I lived on the third floor.

I decided that I needed a shower, seeing as I hadn't yet taken one after my game with Ron. I entered my room, which was empty, stripped from my clothes and wrapped a towel around my waist, heading to the washroom. I stepped into the shower, sliding the curtain closed and swinging my towel up over the edge.

Right as I turned my shower on, I heard the swish of a curtain and Draco's voice.

"Christ." He said airily.

I whipped around, scalding water streaming down my back. There was Draco, standing in a towel, his grey eyes searched my face and then dragged down my body. His face grew paler as his ears burned red.

"Sorry." He said hurriedly.

He met my eyes once more and slammed the curtain shut.

I leaned against the wall, my heart pounding so hard I swear it was going to pop out of my chest. I heard the washroom door open and close. I shut my eyes and rubbed water on my face, not knowing what to do. Draco Malfoy had just seen me stark naked, not a piece of clothing on my body. I shook my head in my hands, not wanting to go back to my room. I massaged shampoo into my hair, taking extra long to let it wash out.

I unwillingly shut off the water and dried off, dreading my next few steps to my room. As I got to my door, I prayed to Merlin that his bed curtains were shut. I held onto the doorknob mustering up every ounce of courage I had, just to push it open.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, creaking the door open as quietly as possible. I shut it behind me, and slowly opened my eyes. Draco's bed was empty. I only had a few seconds of confusion before I saw him step out of the shadows, taking quick paces toward me. For a second I thought he was going to hit me. I stepped back, pressing my back against the door, grabbing for the knob.

When he reached me, his hands flew up to my face, bringing it towards his, and he kissed me like I've never been kissed before. It knocked the air out of me, and I felt like I was in that ice lake swimming for the sword of Gryffindor.

My hand fell off the doorknob as I wrapped my hands up his smooth back. I pulled him toward me, and I felt his hardening erection rub against my hip, becoming incredibly aware that all I had on was a towel.

All of the sudden Draco left my lips, I had just enough time to see him kneel down and rip my towel off before he took the tip of my dick into his mouth. My head slammed back against the door, all I could feel was his cool tongue swirling around the head of my penis. I could feel my heartbeat in my erection and I gasped as he began to take more of me into his mouth. I thrust my hips gently, and he braced one of his graceful hands on the back of my thigh, sliding it up to my ass and squeezing. I bit my lip hard stifling a moan as he firmly clinched the base of my dick with his other hand, moving it up and down as he sucked on the tip of it. He licked his way up the shaft while I watched, his grey eyes dark, clashing with his blonde eyelashes. As we made eye contact, he successfully took my entire dick into his mouth in one swallow, touching my stomach with his nose and forehead. I moaned loudly and thrust into his mouth again, feeling the back of his throat squeezing around me.

"Fuck, Draco. Fuck." I moaned, sucking in air through my teeth. I knotted my fingers into his hair, pulling back and then pushing myself back into his mouth, both of his hands squeezing my ass.

"I'm gonna cum." I breathed, removing my fingers from his hair and waiting for him to pull his mouth off me. He didn't, but instead looked back up at me and flicked his tongue against the underside of my dick, sucking hard.

"Fuck." I closed my eyes and released my self into his mouth as I held onto his shoulders for support.

He swallowed and licked the tip of my dick, sending chills up my body. He kissed his way back up my stomach, wrapping his arms around me as he went. He kissed me and I could taste myself on his sweet tongue.

* * *

He took a few steps backwards, taking me with him, and then we fell onto his bed in unison. With a wave of his hand, his silky covers folded up around us, and he pulled me close to him. I buried my face into the crook of his neck and smelled the lingering sweat on his skin. I tangled my fingers in his hair and he began stroking my arm with the tips of his soft fingers.

"Goodnight, Draco." I mumbled, already half asleep.

"Goodnight, Harry." He replied.


	3. Butterwine

I woke up the next day with a note floating in the air above me. I put on my glasses to read it.

"Had to go see Headmistress McGonagall, see you after breakfast in the common room.

xo, Draco."

I gaped at the note and grabbed it, holding it closer to my face. I traced my finger over the signature. Draco Malfoy signed this note with hugs and kisses. Honestly. I laughed a little, folding the note and putting it on the bureau. I wrapped his warm silk blankets around me, inhaling his fresh, stormy scent one last time.

I slowly stood up, realizing that I was still naked. My face heated up at the thought of last night. I pulled on my clothes slowly, wishing Draco would come back so that I could kiss him again before we left.

I flicked my wand and his bed made itself, fluffing his pillow and tucking his sheets underneath. I walked out the door and down to the great hall for breakfast. Neville and Cho and I were the only ones at breakfast today. Ginny had woken up early, and joined us at the table. Cho and Neville were creating a list of the things they needed to get from Dogweed and Deathcap, and were deciding who would buy what for their Mandrake.

After we had finished breakfast, we all made our way to the Ravenclaw common room to get Luna. I picked up the brass gold knocker and slammed it against the door three times. The eagle knocker came to life and asked its riddle question.

"You are trapped in a room with two doors, one red and one blue... One door leads to certain freedom and the other leads certain death. You don't know which door leads where. There are two guards in the room. One guard always tells the truth and the other guard always lies. You don't know which one is honest and which one is the liar. To figure out which door to choose, you get to ask one guard one question What is your question and which guard will you ask?"

Though I knew Luna was waiting for our knock on the other side, and I had no intention of answering this question, I still paused to think about it. Neville, Cho, Ginny and I looked at each other, trying to think of an answer to this riddle.

"Good I didn't get sorted into this house, I'd never be able to get in the common room!" Neville muttered.

Luna popped out and said her hellos, and we all walked back up to the 8th year common room, talking about the riddle the knocker gave. Luna said she knew the answer (of course) but promised not to tell us until we asked. She linked her arm around Neville's and skipped along next to him, causing him to blush and smile at the floor.

* * *

Upon arrival to the common room, I checked around, but didn't see Draco anywhere. I wend up and checked our room, and it was vacant. I walked back down the stairs to inform them that he wasn't there, but upon arrival I saw his blonde head amongst the rest, shaking the hands of everyone in welcome. It was strange to see my past girlfriends shaking hands with my current boyfriend. Boyfriend.

Is Draco Malfoy my boyfriend? Suddenly coming back into reality I realized Draco was staring at me- and so was everyone else.

"Hm?" I asked vaguely.

"Are you uhh.. ready to go?" Ginny asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

"Oh, yeah." I laughed a little and looked away from Draco.

We all walked out of the common room, the door closing behind us. Trying to think of something to say so I didn't look weird.

"What are you planning on getting at Hogsmeade, Gin?" Her nickname just slipped out of my mouth, and I realized I hadn't called her that since we were together.

She blushed a little and looked away. "I was planning on getting a quill for Andy. His birthday is coming up."

I nodded and smiled, "That's sweet of you."

She blushed brighter. "Thanks." She said, briefly leaning up against my arm as she smiled at me. I wonder when Malfoy's birthday is. I lifted my eyes from our path, looking around for Draco, he was behind me and Ginny, and I slowed my pace to walk beside him.

"When's your birthday?" I asked, trying not to sound like a stalker.

"June 5th." He replied, brow furrowing as he looked down at me."Why?"

"Just wondering." I said with a smile, marking it in my mental calendar.

We were silent until we got outside the castle. Suddenly Draco inhaled sharply to speak, his brow still wrinkled.

"You're not still um.." I looked up at him, his eyes were glued to the back of Ginny's head. "You're not still seeing Ginny, are you?" The tips of his ears turning pink.

"Me? Wh- No! Gin- she- we aren't- I stopped-" I took a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly to calm my thoughts. "No. We broke up a while back."

He nodded, looking slightly relieved, his ears were practically the color of strawberries. I heard Luna giggling, looking up to see her drag Neville along faster as she skipped. He practically had to run to keep up with her. Cho and Ginny were watching and laughing at them, shaking their heads at how bizarre Luna was. I smiled after them and looked at Draco, who was smiling too. I loved the little wrinkles that formed around his eyes as he smiled, and the way his nose got a little scrunchy. He was wearing his usual white dress shirt and tie, black pants, neatly pleated. He was as posh and proper as always. I could almost see my reflection in his polished shoes. I practically rolled my eyes at how overdressed he was. Looking up from his shoes I saw that we were almost to Hogsmeade.

"Do you have anything specific you need to buy?" He asked, glancing in my direction.

"Not really, just wanted to come along. I'm looking forward to a butterbeer though, I haven't had one in ages."

"A butterwhat?" I looked at him, open mouthed.

"You've never had a butterbeer?"

"No. What is it?" He asked.

I stopped walking to stare at him incredulously. He looked where I would have been if I had kept walked next to him, realized I wasn't there and glanced around in search for me. He turned around and saw me, pausing and lazily tucking his hands in his pockets, a smirk forming on his face.

"What, Potter?" He said with a sigh.

"I can't believe this. Never had a butterbeer. You've been at Hogwarts for nearly 8 years now and you've never had a butterbeer." I threw my hands up, turning around and pretending to walk back towards Hogwarts. I heard the crunching of his fancy shoes on the trail coming after me. One of his cool, strong arms wrapped around my waist and he lifted me off my feet from behind.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his face right next to my ear.

He planted a kiss right on my neck and plopped me back down, facing the direction of Hogsmeade. I laughed and jokingly pushed him, he stumbled a little bit and held up his hands innocently, a smile spread across his face. I was blushing ferociously and I looked ahead to see if anyone from the group had seen. They were all facing the other direction, headed into various shops.

"Where do you want to go first?" I asked, blush fading a bit. He shrugged his slender shoulders.

"Anywhere you want." He looked around at all the stores. His eyes stopped on Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to it.

I visibly rolled my eyes, of course he would pick the most posh shop in the entire town.

"What?" He asked, clearly seeing my eye rolling.

"Nothing, nothing. That shop is very Draco." I smiled at him. "First we have to go get a butterbeer for you to try, no excuses."

I grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him toward the Three Broomsticks. As we entered, a witch knocked into us, separating our hands. I made my way over to the bar. "Two butterbeers, please." Madam Rosmerta happliy handed them over. "It's on the house. See you later, Harry." Then she gave me a wink and turned to a witch near me, taking their order. I I thanked her and turned around to search for Draco amongst the crowd.

I found him sitting at a table near the corner, looking around nervously. He was fiddling with the end of his sleeve, smoothing out the creases. I smiled as I walked over to him, his eyes meeting mine as I sat down.

"So this is butterwine." He said, looking down at his cup.

"Butterbeer, and yes." I corrected with a smile. "Try some."

He picked up his glass slowly, swirling it around in his cup a few times before smelling it. His nose wrinkled up and his grey eyes looked down it distastefully. I rolled my eyes, yet again.

"Try it, Draco." I said impatiently.

He gave a resigned sigh, and took a graceful swig, getting a bit of foam on his upper lip, which he wiped off with a delicate thumb. Licking his lips, he looked across the table at me with a smirk.

"It's alright." He muttered.

I shook my head, taking a drink from my own glass, closing my eyes to feeling the sweet warmth of it fill my stomach. I exhaled, savoring the taste. When I opened my eyes again Draco was looking at me, half smiling. He glanced down at my lips. I tilted my head, confused. He pointed at his own lip and then at me. My hand flew to my mouth and I wiped the foam off with the back of my hand, blushing. He chuckled and took another sip of his butterbeer.

"Hiya, Harry" I turned around and saw Luna and Ginny.

"Hey Luna, Ginny." I smiled at them both, "You two get everything you wanted?"

Luna nodded. "But they didn't have any of the Zarbluffs in Dogweed and Deathcap. I can always go back later." She smiled and looked at Ginny.

"Luna, I don't think that Zarbluffs are actually real." Ginny said, her eyebrows pulled together.

Luna shrugged and turned back to me. "Neville and Cho are still at the Herbology shop, but they should be done soon. What are you two going to do?"

My face flushed, realizing that the Tea Shop was notoriously known for dates. "Um.. Well I wanted to stop by Honeydukes after I finish my butterbeer." I said, looking at Draco. "And then I think we are going to go to Madam Puddifoot's for a while."

"Who, you and Cho?" Ginny asked, her face going pink.

"No, um.." I avoided Ginny's gaze. "Me and Draco." I'm sure my face was as red as Ginny's hair by now.

Ginny looked back and forth from me ad Draco for a bit and then nodded. "Alright, well meet us back here when you are done and we will all leave together."

I nodded and they walked away, going to grab some butterbeers of their own. I drained my glass, giving myself something to do.

* * *

I walked out of Honeydukes with an armful of sweets, Draco looked down at me with raised eyebrows, holding the only piece of candy he got between his slender fingers.

He smirked and nodded his head toward Madam Puddifoot's.

"Fancy a tea, Potter?" He asked.

I nodded, shoving my candy into my pockets.

When we entered the shop, the bell above the door tinkled and announced our entrance. Everyone turned and looked at us, staring even longer and beginning to whisper when they realized it was 'Harry Potter' and then extending their stares when they realized I was here with another guy. My face blushed scarlet and I looked up at Draco. His grey eyes were glancing around the place, noticing all the couples in the room and the lace napkins on the table tops.

He shrugged and mumbled. "Looks like Umbridge threw up in here."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing as he waved down madam Puddifoot and requested a table for us. She glanced from me to him for a moment and then pointed to a table near one of the foggy the windows. Draco and I squeezed through other tables to get there, it was quite cramped. When we sat down, Draco observed the china sugar bowls and tea set, running a graceful finger down his spoon and straightening it. He folded his hands delicately on the table and looked across at me. I met his eyes with a smile and he smiled back. Madam Puddifoot hobbled over a second later and asked what we wanted.

Keeping his eyes on me he said. "Earl grey, please."

It took me a second to realize I hadn't ordered. "Same for me, please." Not wanting to break our gaze to look at the menu.

She scribbled it down, Mmm'ing sourly as she hobbled away.

"So." The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I see this place is where people bring their dates. Why didn't you tell me? We could have gone somewhere else." The tips of his ears turned pink and he ran his finger around the rim of his cup.

"I would like this to be a date." I replied.

The words surprised me, but Draco seemed unaffected except for the pause of his finger on his cup. I attempted to be confident, shifting in my seat and sitting up a little straighter. His eyes searched my face for a minute, only to glance away to smile thankfully at Madam Puddifoot for our tea. He waved his hand and our tea poured itself.

He inhaled sharply and held his breath for a second, parting his lips. He seemed to decide against what he was going to say and asked.

"Sugar?" As two cubes floated around above my tea.

"Please." The cubes plopped into my tea making a satisfying noise. I tapped my tea with my wand and it began to stir itself, dissolving the sugar. "Thank you."

He smiled and nodded curtly, taking a sip of his tea. One of his long legs stretched out and rested up against the side of mine, warm and comforting. I cleared my throat.

"So, um.. what did you have to go see McGonagall for this morning?" I blushed slightly, remembering last night.

He looked at me from over his tea, setting his cup down on the saucer in his other hand.

He shrugged. "I got a letter from her at breakfast yesterday, telling me to come to her office this morning. She wanted to welcome me back to Hogwarts and ask how my summer was. Asked me about my classes and told me to come back next week. She seemed concerned.. it was quite nice of her." He took another sip of tea and looked into it thoughtfully, setting it back down. I searched his face for concern or worry, but it remained smooth and content.

I nodded, bumping my leg against his and smiling when he looked up at me. He smiled back, and we finished our tea in comfortable silence, making small talk now and again about how Neville and Cho's Mandrake is going to be pampered with all the fussing they're doing. It was relaxing talking to Draco like this, his voice always calm and smooth, getting deeper the more relaxed he was. He was very articulate, and he never stuttered or fumbled a word, always saying everything perfectly. I could practically hear him say 'Potter', cooly and meticulously pronounced. Even I can't say my own name as well as he can. "Harry Potter" Quite a silly name, actually. Harry.

Wait... My eyes shot to his face, and I realized that last night he had called me Harry. Not 'Potter' or some other dumb name, but 'Harry'. The butterflies in my stomach started acting up again and a smile spread across my face as I watched him take his last sip of tea and straighten everything on his side of the table with his graceful fingers. He waved a hand up and asked for the check, looking back down at me.

"What?" He asked, his expression curious. I shook my head, looking down.

"Nothing." My smile grew wider.

* * *

When we got back up to the common room, Draco left to take a shower. Luna and Neville were huddled in a corner chatting. I remembered the riddle and walked over to them.

"I know the answer. To the riddle that The Golden Knocker asked us." Luna raised her eyebrows."The question you need to ask is: If I want freedom, which door will he tell me to go through? You can ask either of the guards, assuming the re door is the one that leads to freedom, the liar would say the opposite of what the truth teller would tell him, which would be the blue door. The truthful one would would say the blue door, truthfully saying what the liar would say. That means that no matter who you ask, they will tell you the opposite of the truth. This means you should go through the door opposite to what the guard replies."

Luna clapped her hands and jumped up to hug me, squealing. "I knew you'd get it Harry." She stepped back and looked at me dreamily. "I do wish you were in Ravenclaw. You might be a little slow, but you're as smart as the rest of us." She sat back down next to Neville, holding his hand causing him to blush.

"Thanks... I think. Goodnight, Neville. Luna." I smiled, turning away. I waved goodnight to Ginny and Cho on my way and I continued up the stairs, my mind already in my room, going to sleep.

As I was changing into my pajamas, I heard the door open and shut behind me. I tugged my shirt over my head and turned around, but was shocked when I saw a flash of red hair incredibly close to me. Before I knew it, Ginny had her hands in mine and her lips on my lips, kissing me and.. crying? Shocked and confused it took me a second to realize what was happening. I grabbed her shoulders gently and pushed her off of me, looking at her.

"Ginny, what are you doing? Why are you up here? Are you okay?" I asked, my brow creasing.

She shook her head and held her face in her hands. "I miss you, Harry. I miss you."

She tried to kiss me again, I stepped backwards, away from her. She reached her hand out and touched my chest.

"I'm sorry, Harry." Tears started flowing again.

I felt bad for pushing her away. She rested her forehead on my chest, her tears dripping down onto it. I sighed and embraced her, rubbing my hand on her back and smoothing out her hair while she cried. She sniffed a few times and took some deep breaths. Putting her hands on my shoulders she leaned back, looking at me again. Even though her eyes were a bit puffy, she was just as beautiful as always. Her smooth red hair curling as it reached her elbows, naturally blushed cheeks, soft and tearstained.

"What's wrong, Gin?" I wiped a trailing tear from off her cheek.

"It- It's Andy. He's a good guy, I ju-just... I don't love him." She looked away, toward the window. "I-I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt him." Her eyes dropped and another tear fell from her eye. "It was just easier with you. Natural. I never felt pushed or-or trapped."

She looked at me again, leaning forward. "I just miss you. I miss us. Please, Harry."

She kissed me again, softly this time, and I remembered all those times we kissed before. Her lips were tender, her hands light and gentle on my shoulders, hair brushing against my cheek. She smelled like roses and grass. Like the burrow. Like home.

The door opened with a loud creak, making me jump and my eyes flutter open and I yanked my head back from hers. Draco was standing in the doorway, his grey eyes looked from me to her, obviously seeing our kiss. His eyes bore into mine, hurt and angry. He snatched up some clothes and slammed the door behind him before I could say anything. Ginny had turned around and watched him leave, but was now looking at me as if she were going to kiss me again. She leaned forward, I pulled back, coming to my senses.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I don't.. I don't have feelings for you like that anymore. I truly am sorry." I said, holding her shoulders gently but firmly.

She looked at her hands, nodding and letting tears fall. I wanted to run out of there, find Draco and explain what had happened. I didn't know how. I was torn between him and Ginny, my best friend's sister or my boyfriend?

I pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "You're kind, smart, beautiful, hilarious and a hell of a Quidditch player. Any man will be lucky to have you, I just don't think that man is supposed to be me." I nudged her chin up with my finger. "Yeah, Gin?"

She nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah.. Thank you, Harry. S-Sorry about um.. the whole.. kissing thing." She blushed, avoiding my eyes.

"No worries. Forget it ever happened." I gave her another hug, picking up my shirt. I tugged it on as we walked out of my room together.

I looked around the common room for Draco, he was no where to be seen. Hermione rushed over to Ginny as soon as she saw her puffy eyes, and I walked over to Ron.

"Hey, did Draco walk out of here a minute ago?" I asked, my eyes still traveling around the room.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, he seemed really angry. Haven't seen him get like that since Hermione punched him in the face."

He laughed, and I smiled, secretly wondering where he could be. I poked my head out of the door, but I didn't see or hear anyone.

I sat down on a Pouf near Neville and Luna, waiting for Draco to come back, thinking about what I was going to say to him. Yeah I know she's my ex girlfriend but it was an accident. or She attacked me. I rubbed my temple imagining his face to every excuse I came up with. I heard the common room door open and I stood up and turned around so fast that I saw stars. To my disappointment it was just Luna and Ginny leaving. Luna kissed Neville's cheek and whipped out the door in a flash of blonde hair. Ginny waved goodbye to Ron, and then to me, blushing a little. I waved back and plopped back down on my pouf, resting my chin on my fist.

I felt a hard slap on my back and awoke with a start about an hour later.

"Mate its 2 a.m. 'bout time you went to bed, eh?" Ron muttered.

I nodded and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, wondering if Draco had returned. I walked up the stairs, heart pounding, expecting him to be waiting in there, wand aimed at the door. I creaked it open, holding my hand through the crack and waiting for it to explode with some curse or jinx. When nothing happened, I poked my head in and saw that his bed curtains were drawn. I sighed and slumped my way into the room, shutting the door behind me. I walked over to his bed, trying to peel the curtains apart, but they were sealed together with a spell of some sort. I rubbed my face and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Draco.." I waited for a reply, ears alert for any kind of sound. "Draco, please."

I pushed my hand against the curtain and waited for a response. I stood there for 10 minutes at least.

Accepting the fact that he was ignoring me, I flopped down on my bed, reserved and hopeless. I grabbed the note he had left for me this morning and tucked it into my breast pocket. At least I still had that. Making up my mind that I'd talk to him tomorrow, I rolled over and closed my eyes, letting dreams carry me away.


	4. Albus

There was a rushing sound; my blood pulsing in my ears. I heard a scream and turned around. Ginny and Draco were guarding two doors, one blue and one red. Everything was loud and the room was spinning. A voice was booming around me.

"Pick a guard Harry! JUST PICK ONE! It doesn't matter, you'll get the same thing from either of them! Pick one, Harry. Pick one!"

I stumbled around, clinging to the wall of the room, the incandescent colors of the doors were making it hard to see. I fell to the ground, pulling myself toward Draco to grab onto one of his shoes.

"Get off me, scarhead." He kicked at my hand and scowled down at me.

Ginny was now screaming, but she seemed far away. I began to crawl toward her, but she turned around and began to get smaller. I was suddenly on my feet and I turned to Draco, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him

"WHICH DOOR!? WHICH DOOR DO I PICK!?"

I let him go and started stumbling toward Ginny, not waiting for an answer. She turned around, her face was snakelike, eyes going red.

Her hands dropped from her face. "Harry.." She said breathily, her voice hoarse.

She outstretched her hand toward me, the door behind her flipping open, sending me falling down into brilliant white light.

* * *

I awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly, my breathing hard. I grabbed my glasses and shoved them on my face, quickly looking around the room.

The sun was rising, and Draco's bed was empty. I remembered yesterday and pulled the note out of my pocket, running my fingers along his beautiful cursive. I pushed my fingers through my hair, thinking about what I was going to say to him when I saw him. I shook my head and closed my eyes. Even the truth sounds ridiculous. My hand dropped onto the bed and I yanked the covers off me. I'm frustrated at Ginny for putting me in this situation, but also mad at myself for not resisting. All I could see was Draco's face when he saw us. I yanked off my shirt, tugging on my uniform roughly. My arm got caught in the armhole of my shirt and I couldn't get it through, I kept trying to push my arm in but it wouldn't work.

"DAMN IT!" I threw my shirt down and kicked the baseboard of my bed. I closed my eyes and pressed my head against the bedpost."Damn it." I stood there for a moment, breathing and calming down.

I knew Ginny didn't mean to cause problems. I sighed and picked up my shirt. Fixing the sleeve and pushing both my arms through, flicking my wand to make my tie knot and buttons clasp together. I pulled on my socks and shoes, grabbed my rucksack and headed to the door, flicking my wand behind me for my bed to make itself.

When I got to the great Hall for breakfast, the only people there were Neville, Cho and Hermione. Upon sitting down, I saw Neville and Cho organizing their new purchases for their mandrake. I groaned realizing I had to repot mine with Draco tomorrow. Hermione glanced up from her book to look at me.

"What?" Her spoon pausing in mid air.

I glanced at Cho and Neville, who seemed to be paying us no attention. "Ginny came into my room and kissed me last night."

Hermione's mouth dropped open and her spoon clattered into her bowl.

"WHAT?" She slid down the bench closer to me. "What happened? Are you guys back together?" Her eyes were searching my face.

I shook my head, "No no, its not like that. She was just upset I think. Draco walked in on us anyways, nothing really happened."

Her mouth finally closed, "Oh, okay." She stirred her porridge. "Draco ran out in quite a hurry last night. He was dripping wet and didn't even have a shirt on. Is that because he walked in on you two snogging?"

I blushed a little. "Um maybe. He seemed pretty angry.."

She shrugged. "Oh well, it's not like you two are such good friends anyway. It's a shame though. I wonder why he got so mad?"

I looked down at my food. "Yeah.. I wonder." She watched me for a second and then went back to her book.

I rested my head on my fist and poked my food around on my plate, losing my appetite. I dropped my fork down on my plate, and was about to stand up and go to Defense Against the Dark Arts early, but then a dark brown barn owl dropped a letter in front of me and hopped toward me waiting for me to pet it. I reached my hand out and it cooed under my fingers, nipping playfully and spreading its wings. As I read the letter, it snuggled its face against mine. I was thankful for the warmth.

The letter read as follows:

"Dear Mr. Potter,  
Please come by my office today at your earliest convenience. The password is 'Albus'.  
See you soon, Minerva McGonagall"

"Uh oh." I said, showing the note to Hermione.

"Harry, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Nothing! Well.. at least I don't think I've done anything." I looked at her questioningly.

She shrugged. "Maybe she just wants to talk to you."

I looked back down at the note. Great. One more thing that I have to worry about. I stuffed the note back in my pocket, gave the owl a little piece of toast and watched it fly back out the window.

* * *

Defense Against the Dark Arts was dreadful. There were no example spells that we could do yet because he had just begun to go over patronuses. I kept glancing over at Draco, trying to catch his eye, but he only looked up at Snape, scribbling down notes quickly.

Ron nudged me. "Good thing you taught me how to make a patronus, I'd be screwed otherwise."

He laughed breathily. I laughed and nodded, trying to keep my eyes on my paper. When Snape dismissed us, I headed straight for Draco. As I reached out to touch his arm I was frozen in place by Snape's voice.

"Potter. Approach my portrait."

I sighed, turning around as I saw Draco's head disappear in the crowd. I walked up behind his desk, trying not to look annoyed.

"Yes, Professor?"

"You can produce a full patronus, correct, Potter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. I will need you to produce one for tomorrows class. Since I am portrait bound, I am not able to produce one as an example."

"Yes, sir. I'll practice tonight." I began to turn away, hoping I could still catch up to Draco.

"Potter?" I stopped, looking back at him.

"Sir?"

He stared at me for a second. "Thank you."

He clenched his jaw and walked out of his frame before I could reply. I stood there for a second in shock, but then ran out of the room in search for Draco. I went immediately to Herbology, expecting to see him there, but the only people in there were Cho and Neville, spreading out their new purchases and opening their book to see which to use first. I sighed in defeat, sitting down in my usual seat and laying my head down on my arms. I heard a few people coming in, none of which sounded like Draco.

It wasn't until Ron called my name that I looked up, nearly falling off my stool when I saw Draco already sitting next to me.

"Oh- Dr-Draco, I didn't hear you sit down." I stuttered out.

He ignored me, not even blinking when I spoke.

"Draco I-"

Ron interrupted me. "Harry!"

I glared in his direction. "What, Ron?" He looked a little hurt at how forcefully I spoke. "Sorry. What do you need, Ron?" I asked in a softer tone.

"I was just wondering why Snape kept you after class?"

I saw Draco look in Ron's direction, but quickly looked back down at his book when he remembered he was ignoring me.

"He just needed to make sure I could produce a patronus for tomorrow's class, no big deal." I said with a shrug.

"Oh, alright. Just wanted to make sure you didn't get into trouble with two teachers in one day." I shot Hermione a menacing look, she had obviously told Ron about the letter I received this morning.

She was hiding behind her book making her forehead the only thing I could see. Draco shifted in his seat, obviously interested in the conversation. I didn't say anything further to Ron, but I heard Hermione whispering angrily at him, probably telling him off for ratting her out. I turned my attention back to Draco.

"Draco, I need to talk to you. About last night. It's not what it seems." I said softly.

He turned his body so that his back was facing me. I touched his shoulder lightly and he shrugged it off roughly. Professor Sprout cleared her throat and began class, telling us how to measure our mandrakes and figure out if they would be ready to repot tomorrow. The entire class was spent with Draco reading his Herbology book, only looking up when Professor Sprout walked by to inspect the leaves on our Mandrake.

With my wand I flipped a few pages of his book. He blinked, annoyed, and flipped the pages back, holding them down with his hand. I flicked my wand again, causing his hair to braid itself. His hand shot up to his head and he felt his hair, realizing it was in a braid, he smiled a bit and almost looked at me. He ran his fingers through his hair, removing the braid, and went back to reading his book. I watched him for a minute, willing him with my mind to look at me. I probably could have stared at him forever if Professor Sprout hadn't dismissed class. He snapped his book shut and walked out briskly.

* * *

I trudged up to the Gargoyle that guarded McGonagall's office.

"Albus." I said, watching as the Gargoyle sprang aside, revealing the great staircase beyond.

I stepped up on one of the stairs and looked up as the staircase ascended, inhaling deeply to try and relax. When the staircase stopped moving, I walked up the final two stairs and knocked on the door three times. The door opened and I stepped through, closing it behind me. Not much has changed in this office. All the kicknacks and trinkets were still bobbling around, and the sorting hat was sitting up on the top shelf behind the desk. I looked at McGonagall who was smiling at me, she waved her hand, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

"Good afternoon, Potter. Please have a seat."

I bowed my head respectfully, "Afternoon, Professor." I sat down adjacent to her.

She fiddled with her wand absently. "How are you? Are your classes going well?"

Confused, I answered. "I'm well. My classes are good. Nice to be back here."

She nodded, smiling. "I'm glad, Potter. It's good to see you."

"Its good to see you to." Her eyes searched my face, but she didn't reply. "You know, professor, if you wanted to ask me how I was, I'd be happy to talk to you in the hall. You didn't have to go through the trouble of asking me here." I smiled, hoping I didn't sound rude. I was confused as to why she wanted me here if all she wanted to do was ask how I was.

She shook her head, seeming to come out of a deep thought. "No, Potter, I've asked you here for a different reason." Her eyes searched the room and she leaned forward, as if she were going to tell me a secret. "I asked you here to inquire about Draco Malfoy." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me.

My heart dropped when I remembered our current relationship. I swallowed hard, pushing back those thoughts.

"What about him, professor?" She seemed very concerned.

"Is he... acting normally? Doing well in class?"

I nodded. "He's quite well."Still confused, I asked. "I'm sorry professor, I'm still not sure why I'm here. Didn't you talk to Draco yesterday morning?"

"Yes, we spoke yesterday. I wanted to hear it from your perspective, Potter. Have there been any odd happenings? Does he go out at night?"

"No, professor. I'd have to say he is exceptionally ordinary." I remembered Luna saying that to me when she fixed my nose after Draco broke it.

She looked at me thoughtfully, leaning back in her chair. "Thank you, Potter. I know the two of you don't get along. I'm sorry to have put you with him in your dormitories, but there was no one else I trusted to be smart enough to notice something was wrong, or brave enough to come tell me about it. I considered putting him with Mr. Weasley, but... well he's not the brightest snitch in the pitch." She smiled apologetically.

My stomach knotted. So McGonagall had put us together for a reason? "That's alright professor. We've actually become friends." Well.. except for right now.

Her eyebrows raised so far up her forehead they almost got lost in her hairline. " _Friends_? You and Draco Malfoy?"

I laughed a little at her reaction. "Yes, Professor. He's really changed."

Her eyebrows lowered into visibility. "Changed?"

"Yes, it's like he's a different person. Even Hermione noticed."

"Miss Granger? The two of them get along?" I thought her eyebrows were going to slide back right off her face.

I nodded. "Yes, Professor. She and him get along rather well now."

She nodded, looking at me. "Right." She seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyes unblinking. I nearly thought she had fallen asleep with her eyes open when she inhaled sharply, causing me to jump.

"Right," She repeated. "Well, thank you, Potter. That will be all."

I stood up, and walked to the door. Turning around as I opened it. "Professor... You don't think Draco is involved with anything.. bad, do you?"

She looked at me, as if deciding on if she wanted to answer. "No, Potter. Thank you for your help. Enjoy your evening."

"You too, Professor." I smiled and walked out, conversation still running through my mind.

* * *

I stopped by the room of requirement on my way back to the common room to work on my patronus. I walked past the door three times, thinking _I need a place I can practice a spell_ , and the doors materialized.

I walked in and looked around. The room had formed itself into a room which was similar to the 'Dumbledore's Army' classroom, but this one was smaller and there wasn't equipment to practice with. The walls were covered in mirrors, and the ceiling was high, darkened with burn marks. I remembered last year when I had rescued Draco from Goyle's Fiend Fire. His arms had wrapped around my waist so tightly.

I shook my head, trying not to think about Draco. I needed to practice this patronus so I didn't freeze up tomorrow in class. I thought back, trying to find something that made me happy.

I remembered hugging Hermione and Ron after the second war, and how happy we all were to be alive. It was more of a desperate happiness.

"Expecto Patronum" I said, s whisp of blue air erupted from my wand and a stag charged out, running about the room. I sat down on the floor, leaning up against the mirror as it walked around majestically above my head.

I conjured a few more patronuses, thinking about different happy thoughts, and each time the stag soared out easily. On my last go, I thought about Draco in Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, and how comfortable it was to talk to him. I had never done a silent patronus before, so I closed my eyes, focusing on Draco's smile. I thought 'Expecto Patronum', opening my eyes. The transparent blue stag erupted from my wand, happily running around me and galloping towards the mirror. I watched as it faded, turning into silvery wisps. Deciding that I had enough practice, I headed to the dormitories

* * *

Feeling tired, I went to my room, and upon seeing it was empty, I decided to wait there until Draco arrived. There was no way he could avoid me in here.

After about an hour, I stretched and looked at my watch, it said 8:53. I have plenty of time to take a shower before Draco shows up. I ripped off my clothes, grabbed my towel and headed for the washroom. I washed my hair and cleaned the rest of my body in what had to be less than three minutes. Drying off quickly, I wrapped the towel tightly around my waist and ran back to my room, throwing the door open.

I practically screamed in frustration. There in the blue moonlight were the closed curtains of Draco's bed. I slammed the door behind me and looked at my watch on the bureau. The time was now 9:01. It was like Draco had been waiting for me to leave so that he could sneak in. I threw my towel down and changed violently.

I walked over to his bed, taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. I tried to part the curtains, but they were charmed shut.

"Draco. Please open the curtains, I really need to talk to you."

Silence.

"Draco. Can you at least hear me?"

Silence.

"Please, Draco."

Silence.

"DRACO."

Silence.

I hit his curtains, and it felt like punching gelatin. I sat down on the floor, leaning against my bed to stare up at the closed curtains guarding him. I tried a few silent charms to try and part the curtains, but nothing I did worked. I threw my wand across the room in frustration and rested my head on my knees.

* * *

I woke up sideways on the floor, my glasses were pressing into my face and my hip was aching. I sat up and saw that Draco's bed was empty. Sighing, I stood up and changed into my robes. I slowly picked up my wand and threw my satchel across my shoulder, trudging to breakfast.

As soon as I sat down I realized I hadn't eaten at all yesterday, and I began shoveling food into my mouth as quickly as possible. After I was full, I turned to Ron and Hermione and told them about what had happened in McGonagall's office yesterday. They looked at each other, and then back at me, as confused as I was. I shrugged.

Hermione leaned forward. "I don't know what she's was getting at, but she wouldn't have suspicions unless she found fortifying evidence."

"I know, but I've been with him for the past week and a half, and I haven't seen anything suspicious? All he does is go to class, study, and sleep. When could he have been doing something dangerous?" I looked at her incredulously.

She shook her head slowly, as if trying to think of a way Draco could've snuck off while I was sleeping. "I don't know Harry, but please be careful."

* * *

Herbology could not come soon enough. All throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts, Draco had not looked at me once. I tried to get his attention before he sat down, but Snape cut me off, making me do an example of 'Expecto Patronum' for the class. Even the whispy blue stag erupting from the tip of my want didn't make Draco's grey eyes look up at me. If it weren't for Ron constantly pointing at his jack russle patronus and looking at me all excitedly, I'd think I was completely invisible.

I practically ran to Herbology after class, looking for Draco everywhere I went. I arrived 20 minutes early and sat down on my stool, opening my textbook and beginning to read about the care of Mandrakes. I heard the slam of the door and I looked up expectantly, disappointed when I saw it was just professor Sprout carrying in a few of our Mandrakes.

"Bleedin gits." She exclaimed as she plopped the pots down, looking at them distastefully.

She turned around to grab a few more and spotted me. "Harry, dear! You're here early now aren't ya? Mind helpin an old witch with some of these?" She smiled and gestured to the Mandrakes resting in an oversized wheelbarrow outside.

I closed my book and walked over to her, catching a mandrake as it slipped out of her grasp.

"Woo! Good catch, lad, that coulda been quite a pain." I smiled and set it down on the table in it's designated spot. We set all 6 Mandrakes out on the table, mine and Draco's last. As she went around and felt the soil on the mandrakes, she placed earmuffs next to each one, stopping near me and handing me a pair.

She smiled brightly. "I expect you and Draco will be repotting yours today? It was looking quite big on Friday. Those yells are sure to knock a few people out. Better keep an eye on Neville, eh?" She nudged me and cackled, walking down the rest of the table and feeling their soil.

Millicent and Pansy walked in fussing over who got to pull their Mandrake out of the soil, closely followed by Dean and Seamus, walking in holding hands. I watched them as they sat down, Seamus pulled out a few of his books and opened them, searching for something while Dean watched. While Seamus was hunched over the book, eyebrows furrowed and eyes flicking down the page, Dean leaned over and kissed his cheek, making Seamus look up at him and peck him on the lips, smiling.

Ron, Neville, and Hermione walked in not shortly afterwards. Hermione immediately walked up to me.

"Draco was looking for you."

My heart dropped. "For me? Did he tell you why?" I tried to sound casual, but I was panicking. What if I had missed my chance for forgiveness?

She shook her head. "No, he didn't say why, but it seemed urgent. I said I thought you might be at Hagrids, and he headed that way. He should be here soon, though, I'm sure."

I nodded and thanked her, now staring at the door, waiting for him to come in.

He was 5 minutes late to class, his face was flushed and it looked as if he had been running. He stormed in, apologizing to professor Sprout and then walked quickly toward me, looking me straight in the eyes. I slid back off my stool and stood up because he was approaching at an alarming speed, his robes swishing behind him in an almost snape- like fashion. It was quite attractive, honestly. He stopped abruptly, about 5 inches from my face, still looking at me. He slammed his books down on the table, making our Mandrake root hobble uncertainly.

"I spoke to Ginny." He was speaking almost silently, so that just he and I could hear. "She told me about what happened Sunday night."

I glanced around at all the staring faces, Ron had drawn his wand and was pointing it at Draco's back, obviously alarmed at his sudden charge at me. I stepped back a bit, nearly falling over my rucksack.

"What did she tell you?" I saw anger in his grey eyes.

"That she kissed you and 'it wasn't your fault.'" He said this in a mocking tone, shockingly similar to Ginny's actual voice.

"Well... That's the truth." I stared at him, confused.

"I don't believe it for a second. Why did you tell her to talk to me? It's not like I care anyways. You can snog whoever you want, its not my problem." He plopped down on his stool and slammed a book open, staring blankly at the page in front of him. I cleared my throat, trying not to look at all the prying eyes. They had obviously heard what he said. I sat down slowly next to him and tried to grab his hand under the table.

"Draco.." I said softly.

"NO." He yanked his hand out of my grasp, bringing it up to hold the book he was staring at. I reached for his hand again, this time above the table.

"Draco, please." I grasped his cool hand in both of mine and he looked at me, shocked, and then looked around at all the people staring.

"There are other people here, you know. You wouldn't want them spreading rumors about you, it might cause trouble between you and your new girlfriend." He tried to tug his hand away, but I didn't let it go.

I kept staring at him, waiting for him to look at me. When he finally did, he seemed to calm down a bit, his breath beginning to slow. He looked back and forth between my eyes for a minute before he spoke.

"What?" He said, his voice sharp.

"I didn't tell her to go talk to you. I've been trying to get your attention for the past day and a half to tell you what really happened. She kissed me because she was confused and sad. She was looking for something familiar, that's the only reason she came to me. I don't have feelings for her, and she doesn't have feelings for me. She was just lost."

I searched his face, trying to judge his reaction. He kept his hand in mine, and stopped trying to remove it. He looked down at our hands and then around at all the people staring.

"WHAT?" He asked them, ears going pink.

Everyone hastily looked away and started prodding their mandrakes, beginning fake conversations to avoid Draco's gaze. He sighed forcefully and looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed, the anger in his eyes had been replaced by pain.

"So she was telling the truth?" He asked quietly.

I nodded, relieved that he believe me.

He sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn it. I owe her an apology. I was very unkind." His hand dropped and tugged on a loose string on his robes. "I owe you an apology, too."

His eyes met mine and I didn't think I could bear to hear him apologize. He didn't do anything wrong, he was rightfully angry. I was the one who needed to apologize.

I squeezed his hand and let go, handing him his earmuffs.

"I think it's about time we repotted our child." He smiled a little bit, taking the earmuffs from me and nodding.

"I agree, Potter."

Professor Sprout waved her hands and made sure everyone's earmuffs were on properly, double checking Neville's thoroughly, and signaled for us to pull them up when we were ready. I turned to Draco, smiling widely and gesturing to our Mandrake, mouthing, 'Would you do the honors?'

He smiled, grabbing our Mandrake by the root and yanking up, hard. A piercing cry could be heard through our earmuffs as a wrinkly potato sized humanoid-looking Mandrake was pulled from the dirt. Draco's face was of utter disgust as he set it roughly into a larger pot and began piling dirt on top of it. I nudged him and began making dreamy faces at it, causing him to roll his eyes and throw dirt at me, smiling. I'm happy to have my Draco back.


	5. Monile Tempesta

Draco and I walked around holding hands for the rest of the day. It was nice to finally be open about our relationship. Ron and Hermione were confused by the whole thing, but seemingly happy. I took the empty seat that was next to Draco in the great hall, causing Hermione to look over at me multiple times during dinner.

Upon entering the common room, Draco said he was going up to take a shower and kissed my cheek, leaving me behind with Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna. Ginny and Luna were in the common room so frequently now that they might as well be in 8th year. I needed to talk to Ginny and thank her for whatever she said to Draco, but I didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone else. I tried to catch her eye and gesture that I needed to talk to her, but she was staring down at her hands.

Suddenly Luna spoke. "Ron, Hermione, we should leave Harry and Ginny alone, they need to talk about something and we are intruding."

"What? I- no, It's okay, Luna. I don't have-" I began, but she was already standing up and grabbing a Ron and Hermione's hands to pull them away. They looked back at me confused and I just shrugged and shook my head.

I turned back to Ginny who was now red and avoiding my eyes at all costs. I didn't even know what to say to her.

I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Ginny. For talking to Draco."

She nodded, still not looking at me. I realized that she must feel awkward now that I've come out with my relationship with Draco.

"Um.. I know it must be weird for you.. now that I'm with a guy and everything.." What the hell am I even saying. "I'm not too sure where I'm going with this, but I just wanted to thank you for whatever you said to him. I know it must have been difficult for you. Did you know that we were..." I wanted to ask if she knew that we were together, but she looked at me as I was speaking and tears were in her eyes.

She nodded slowly. "I realized it after I got back to my dorm that night. At first I couldn't figure out Draco's expression when he had seen us, but then I recognized it. I saw it on Hermione's face when Lavender kissed Ron. Then I remembered that you and him had gone to Madam Puddifoot's shop on Sunday and I put everything together." A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away hurriedly, sniffing and looking down at her folded hands.

I didn't really know what to say, but I knew that without her talking to Draco, he probably wouldn't have spoken to me for a long time. I put my hand on top of hers, they were as warm and soft as always. She looked up at me, sniffing again.

"Thanks, Gin."

She smiled a little and I kissed her forehead, standing up and turning toward the stairs to take a shower.

I grabbed a towel from my room, pecking Draco on the cheek, and heading to the washroom. I relaxed against the cold shower wall as hot water ran down my body. I always forgot how much I enjoyed showering. I inhaled the hot steam, savoring the clean smell of the water mixed with my shampoo. I nicked it from Ron's house when I was staying there over the summer. It smelled like fabric softener. There was a underlying heaviness of the smell of the shampoo that always made me feel like I was at the burrow. At home. I stayed in the shower until I could no longer smell it.

I rubbed my hand on my face, feeling the stubble on my neck and chin. If I was able to grow a full beard, I would, but when I tried it just grew out all patchy, causing Ron and Hermione to laugh every time they looked at me. I shaved off the small amount of stubble that I had, dabbing on some aftershave that Ron's mum had given me.

Upon entering my room, I saw Draco closing up the last few buttons on his pajama shirt. I closed the door and walked over to my bed, feeling his eyes on me as I went. I pulled on my pajama bottoms, searching around for my shirt.

"Accio Pajama shirt." I waited, but nothing came flying. I rubbed my head, trying to think of where I could have put it. "Draco, have you seen my-"

I had turned around, only to see my pajama shirt tugging at Draco's hand, trying to answer my accio spell.

"Oh, are you looking for this?" A wicked smile spread across his face. I set my wand down on my bed, making my shirt stop tugging, and walked over to him slowly, outstretching my hand.

"Give it here, Malfoy." I said with a smile, stopping a little over a foot away.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then held it behind his back. "Make me."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, crossing my arms.

"Scared, Potter?" His grey eyes were practically sparkling with laughter, and I couldn't help but smile.

I stepped forward, my chest centimeters from his, I reached behind him and plucked my shirt from his grasp. Tugging the sleeves onto my arms, I began to button my shirt, my knuckles grazing his chest as my hands moved. I kept eye contact with him the entire time, a smirk still lingering on his face. When I was finished with my buttons, I let my hands drop down by my sides.

One of his hands wrapped up behind my neck, sliding his fingers into my hair. He kissed my forehead and wrapped his other arm around my shoulders, resting his cheek on the top of my head while he played with my hair. I wrapped my arms around his torso and closed my eyes, inhaling his fresh, clean smell. We stayed like that for a while. I rested my head on his shoulder, listening to his heart beat and how it matches up to his breathing. His firm grasp felt nice on my shoulders, and I felt safe in his arms.

After a few minutes of standing like that, Draco inhaled deeply, sliding his arms off my shoulders and fiddling with the buttons on my shirt. He tugged me forward, resting his forehead on mine. I tilted my head up, and he kissed me softly, lifting his head only to change the angle of his face. His right hand wrapped around the back of my neck, placing his thumb in front of my ear. He kissed my upper lip, then my lower lip, traveling all over my face leaving whispers of kisses everywhere. I kept my eyes closed, feeling his warm breath on my face clashing with his cool thumb on my cheek. He kissed my forehead again, more firmly than any of the other kisses, and he let his hand drop away as he sat down on his bed.

He slid over to the far edge and pulled open the covers, patting his bed and outstretching his arm like he did on our third night here. I crawled in and laid down next to him, wrapping my left arm up and tucking my fingers into his hair. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and sighed as his strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me to where my chest rested flush against his. His other hand reached up and rested on my left arm. It was so easy to fall asleep next to him.

* * *

I woke up before I opened my eyes. Hearing the turning of a page, I breathed in deeply and rolled over onto my back. Reaching my arms up and grabbing the headboard, I groaned loudly as I stretched. I let my arms flop down on the bed right above my head and I opened my eyes, looking at Draco. He had those wire spectacles on the bridge of his nose again, his grey eyes flicking down the page of some ridiculously large book.

I rolled my eyes, smiling, and turned over to where my back faced him. I could hear the sprinkling of rain against the window and I closed my eyes again, wishing I could stay here forever. The thud of Draco's book hitting the floor was heard only seconds before I felt Draco's firm arms wrap around me. He kissed the back of my neck gently, giving me goosebumps.

"Good morning." He said.

"Good morning." I smiled. I loved hearing the deep, rough morning voice he has, which is so different from his normal speaking voice. He inhaled deeply, making the back of my neck go cold.

"Breakfast, Potter?" He questioned.

I groaned, not wanting to get out of bed. "Come on, you have to get up eventually. It might as well be for some warm waffles and pumpkin juice." He kissed the back of my ear, nudging it with his nose. I sighed, turning my head to kiss his nose. His grey eyes were looking into mine and he smiled, gently kissing me. He rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Okay fine, you can have 5 more minutes, but then we really need to go." He got up, and grabbed his wand, pointing it at the bed so the covers wrapped tightly around me. I smiled, turning over and closing my eyes again, listening to the ruffle of his clothes folding themselves and the swish of coat hangers in the closet.

I had almost drifted off to sleep again when a pile of clothes landed on my face. I pushed them off, turning to look at him.

"Come on, scarhead, we have things to do today." He smiled at me in the mirror as he put on his tie.

I sighed and grudgingly got out of bed, tugging my clothes on sleepily. We walked into the great hall, receiving stares from those who had herd rumors of our relationship. I grabbed his hand, watching as his ears turned pink. We sat down at our table, saying our hello's to Neville and Luna. I dragged a waffle onto my plate and picked up the syrup, pouring it over my waffle and then handing it to Draco so that he could do the same. Right as I took my first bite, someone grabbed my shoulder roughly and threw themselves down in the seat next to me.

"Harry, I'm through. I'm done. Hermione's birthday is on Sunday and I have no idea what to get her." Ron said desperately, his voice pitching. I nearly choked on my waffle. I looked at Ron, who was practically green.

"Oh for Merlin's sake. I completely forgot!" I looked down at my plate, I have never forgotten Hermione's birthday before. In fact, I usually have her present ready months in advance. I had no idea what to get her.

"Harry, help! Please! I have nothing. I've been racking my brain for days trying to think of something to get her." He grasped my arm desperately.

I just shook my head. He looked defeated, dropping his head on the table.

"Let's go to Hogsmeade soon and pick out something for her. I know we will find something that she would like." Ron nodded, not picking up his head. I looked at Draco. "Do you want to come to Hogsmeade with us?" I could probably use his help choosing something for her. Posh as he was, I knew whatever he'd pick out would be perfect.

He shook his head. "I've already gotten Hermione a present. Thanks, though."

My mouth dropped open. "You- you what?"

He continued cutting his waffle as if it were perfectly normal for him to buy her something.

He shrugged casually. "I heard her mention that it was on the 19th so I just nipped out and got her something. It's no big deal." He took a bite and looked at me innocently.

I looked over at Ron who was just as shocked as I was. "That's... That's very kind of you, Draco." I said, finally closing my mouth.

He shrugged again. "No big deal. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." I nudged his leg with mine and smiled at him, he smiled back, cheek full of waffle.

I looked back at Ron, who was still open-mouthedly staring at Draco.

"Ron." I said, waving my hand in front of his face.

Luna spoke from across the table. "Ron, you're beginning to drool, please close your mouth."

Ron wiped the drool from his face and looked at me disbelievingly.

I shrugged and smiled, patting his shoulder. "We'll go to Hogsmeade on Saturday, yeah?"

Ron was staring again. I shook my head, smiling and taking another bite of my waffle. Draco touched my hand. "I need to stop by the owlry before class, I'll see you in Herbology." He stood up and kissed my cheek, making me blush and hide my face behind a cup of pumpkin juice.

* * *

Throughout the next few days, I repeatedly asked Draco what he got Hermione for her birthday, to which he would always reply, 'It's a surprise.' with a smile on his face.

Our Mandrake was now being moody, tossing dirt around and then hugging our hands, only to knock them away and shriek again. These mood swings meant it was growing into adolescence. We replanted him into a bigger pot, giving him lots of space to have those tantrums.

* * *

When Saturday rolled around, I left Draco a floating note over his bed like the one he had left for me:

"Draco,  
Ron and I are headed to Hogsmeade now, I'll be back soon.  
xoxo, Harry."

Ron and I trudged down the walk to Hogsmeade, wrapping our jackets tight against the cool September breeze. Neither of us had come up with an idea on what to give Hermione for her birthday. My first thought would be to give her a book, but then you run into the dilemma of finding a book she doesn't already have. You can go down the list of all school supplies, and find that she has at least one of everything in her possession.

Ron and I went into the three broomsticks to warm up with some butterbeer.

"I'm going to go over to J. Pippin's Potion shop and then to Tomes and Scrolls. Meet you back here in two hours?" Ron said after we had finished our drinks.

I nodded and we went our separate ways, him going to J. Pippins and me going to Gladrags Wizard wear.

As soon as I stepped in the shop I was drawn back to when I was here shopping for socks for Dobby. I smiled as I remembered his huge eyes bulging out as he saw all the socks I gave him. I walked down the isles, feeling the material of everything. I looked at coats, scarves, gloves, hats, shoes, and pants before I finally decided on a dark indigo cashmere sweater. I paid for the sweater, looking at the clock. It had been a little over an hour, but I still had time to walk around, so I went into Scrivenshaft's quill shop to look for a secondary present. I ended up choosing a quill with refilling ink that changed color as you write. I picked up a small red bag and some tissue paper to wrap her presents in and headed back to the three broomsticks to wait for Ron.

Ron came in 15 minutes late with a huge wrapped book underneath his arms.

"It's called _500 Spells Even the Advanced Witch or Wizard Won't Know_ and I'm hoping she doesn't. Do you think she will like it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I think she'll love it."

He looked relieved. "What did you get her?"

I gestured to my bag. "A sweater and a quill that has color changing ink."

He sighed angrily. "CLOTHES! Why didn't I think of that." He slammed the book down on the bar as he sat down, causing people to stare. "I'm the _worst_ at buying presents. Malfoy's better be just as bad as mine, I'm not going to be out-shined by that git. It's probably cursed with some dark magic or someth-" He stopped talking as I abruptly stood up.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about, mate." I said sharply, my face heating up.

"Oh... Right. Sorry. I kind of forgot he was our friend now. Sorry, mate, I didn't mean it like that. Old habits you know?" He said hastily.

I nodded rigidly, still a little angry. I grabbed Hermione's present off the table and walked out. Ron followed, struggling to pick the massive book up off the table. When we got outside, Ron flicked his wand, making the book levitate along next to us.

"I really didn't mean what I said earlier... About Malfoy.. It just sorta slipped out."

I nodded, trying to relax. After all, Ron was trying, and that's all I could really ask for.

We walked the rest of the way to Hogwarts in silence, and looked through the book he got Hermione while we were eating dinner. I went up to my room that night, looking for Draco, but to my displeasure he was nowhere to be found. I decided to take a shower and head to sleep. Ron and I were going to try and wake up before Hermione to surprise her.

"Blimey, she wakes up earlier than the sun." Ron had said after he asked Millicent what time Hermione usually woke up.

I went to sleep, wishing Draco's arms were around me.

* * *

The next day, Ron and I set up a little gathering around a small mound of presents for her. Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean and Seamus and I were all gathered around on the floor waiting for Hermione to come down. When she did, we all yelled 'Surprise!' as Ron got up and kissed her, putting his present in her hands.

Her eyes got teary as she thanked us all, and she gasped when she saw the presents on the floor. She opened Ron's and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek, flipping quickly through the book and saying she'd read it later. Dean and Seamus gave her a box of sweets that make your voice change octaves. Luna gave her a copy of the quibbler and a small book about animals that live in the forbidden forest. Neville gave her a little plant that produced small puffs of smoke when you poked it. When she opened my present she squealed and hugged me, practically knocking me over. She pulled the sweater on over her head and it fit perfectly. I looked around for Draco, curious as to what he had given her, but he was no where to be seen. After the party members had dispersed, I walked up to Hermione.

She hugged me again. "Thanks again for my presents, Harry. I love them." She rubbed the cashmere against her face and pointed to a piece of parchment that had her name written in different colors.

I laughed. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like them." I smiled at her, picking up the quill and writing down my own name twice. It came out green the first time, and purple the second time. "Hey, um.. I was just wondering if you had seen Draco yet today?" My face flushed a little.

"No, I haven't, but when I woke up there was a box next to my bed with this in it." She reached up toward her neck, pulling a silver chain out from underneath her shirt and sweater.

Attached to it was a small glass circle with a yellow shining orb floating around in it. She shook it and the orb bounced off the sides of the circle. There were little dots of whiteness floating around in it as well. I flipped it around in my fingers, feeling the warmth it produced.

"What is it?" I asked, transfixed by the necklace.

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and I noticed the handwriting immediately; it was Draco's.

"It's called 'monile tempesta' It's supposed to mirror the weather outside. It's quite nice actually. I'm curious to see what it does when it's stormy." She smiled down at the necklace, watching the small sun glide around and push the miniature clouds aside.

* * *

I had been in my room writing a paper for Defense Against the Dark Arts when Draco burst through the door, looking quite angry. He slammed the door shut, throwing some books onto his bed. I stood up, not really knowing what to do.

"Uh.." I said stupidly. He started pacing, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Is.. everything... alright?" Obviously not, _idiot_.

"McGonagall thinks that I'm using Dark Magic. What gave her that impression?" I suddenly felt guilty, remembering that I hadn't told him about my meeting with her. He looked at me and froze, seeing my guilty expression. "You didn't tell her that I was.." He trailed off, looking betrayed.

"Tell her that you were what? Using Dark Magic?" I was confused, did he really think I'd do that?

"Did you?" He said, searching my face for an answer.

I sat down. "Do you honestly think I'd do that to you?"

He looked at the floor. "Well I didn't... but we had been fighting for a while and.. I don't know I just thought... She said she had talked to you."

"Yeah, I did talk to her."

I went back to writing my essay, hurt and angry that he thought I would spread false rumors about him. I could feel his gaze on me for a minute, I ignored him as I wrote.

Suddenly he moved, causing me to look up right has he kicked and punched the door, flattening his hands on the door and leaning his forehead against it. His shirt was tight across his back, making his muscles visible through it. He rocked his forehead against the door, his hands sliding down. I felt bad for getting angry, knowing that he didn't mean to imply I had accused him of anything. I stood up, crossing the room to rub my hand across his back. I rested my other hand on his shoulder.

I tugged at his arm. "Come here." His arms easily wrapped around me and I stroked his hair with my free hand. His arms were tight around my waist, and his face was buried in the crook of my neck.

After a few minutes he took a deep breath and said. "Thank you, Harry."

He leaned back, letting his arms slide off of me as he kissed my forehead. I smiled at him, remembering a spell that I had read in Hermione's book.

"Watch this." I pulled out my wand, levitating our bureau off to the side, and then directing it at our two beds "Mergeretum".

Our beds squished together, the posts and mattresses coming together seamlessly. I flicked my wand, turning the sheets and pillowcases to silk. I levitated the bureau to the right side of the bed. After I was done I turned to Draco who was watching, open mouthed. Suddenly he grabbed my hand and yanked me onto the bed with him, laughing as we plopped down. He rolled over and smiled at me, kissing my cheek and wrapping his arms around my waist. We laid there for hours, watching the room flood with color as the sun went down.

* * *

The next morning, just as I was expecting, I got a letter from Professor McGonagall asking me to her office again. Hermione looked over, reading the note and passing it to Ron.

"Do you reckon she's going to ask you about Malfoy again?" Ron asked, passing the note back to Hermione.

"Probably. What else could she want? Draco came in last night and told me that McGonagall had asked him if he was using Dark Magic. If he told her no, I don't know what else she'd ask me about." I looked at Ron and Hermione for help.

Ron shook his head and shrugged.

Hermione frowned at the letter. "Maybe she just wants to tell you that her suspicions about Malfoy are over. I'd imagine that after bringing you into it, she'd want to keep you up to date." She fiddled with her necklace, which was now almost completely white with the little glowing orb peeking out every so often. She eventually gave a resigned sigh and handed the letter back to me.

"Let us know what happens after you go, yeah?" Ron asked, with a mouthful of food.

I nodded, putting the letter in my pocket. "I'll go see her after lunch."

Defense Against the Dark Arts dragged by, we had started talking about defense against inferi. I have had plenty of experience with inferi, as I was nearly drowned by a whole army of them. I spent the entire class having flashbacks of the night Professor Dumbledore died. I could almost feel their slimy corpse hands grabbing at my body.

I practically ran out of class as soon as we were dismissed, waiting for Draco by the door. As soon as he came out I told him about the letter I had received that morning from McGonagall.

"What do you think she wants this time?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

I shrugged, remembering what Hermione said this morning. "Maybe she just wants to tell me that she doesn't suspect you of using Dark Magic anymore."

He looked down at the trail on which we walked, deep in thought. "Yesterday she was asking me if I had spoken to my father recently. I mean, he's in bloody Azkaban, its not like its an easy trip." He suddenly looked guilty and rubbed the back of his neck.

A thought occurred to me. "Draco... Have you been to see your dad? At all?"

He looked away and shook his head. "I have no reason to." His ears went pink, "My mum.. she wants me to go and see him."

He slowed his pace a little, and finally stopped, His grey eyes meeting mine. "I just don't know what I'd say to him." I reached out and grabbed his hand, letting him think.

"Do you think..." He looked down and kicked a stone with his foot as he spoke. "Do you think.. you could go with me? If I.. went to see him?" The color flooded from his ears and into his cheeks as she spoke.

Why would he want ME to go? Aren't I part of the reason he's in there in the first place? "Of course, Draco. I'd be happy to come." HAPPY to come?! Someone please, just light me on fire and spare me this pain. "Well, not- not ha-happy to go but-"

Draco smiled, kissing my cheek. "I know what you meant. Thank you."

We walked the rest of the way to Herbology holding hands and talking about the future of our Mandrake. After lunch in the great hall I went up to professor McGonagall's office.

"Albus." I said to the gargoyle, which stayed still. I tapped it with my wand as I spoke again. "Albus."

The gargoyle remained in place. I pulled out McGonagall's letter, looking down at it for a new password.

"Dear Mr. Potter,  
Please come by my office at your earliest convenience.  
Thank you, Minerva McGonagall."

I flipped it over, checking the back, and nearly fell over when Professor McGonagall popped up next to me.

"Albus." She said, addressing the gargoyle which happily sprung aside. "Sorry, Mr. Potter, I've just come from a meeting. Do, come in."

She waved a hand, directing me onto the ascending staircase.

I sat down in my usual seat, and she paced around the room for a moment before observing the bookshelf behind her desk, pulling out a slender red book and opening it. She set it down on her desk, looking down at the page she had flipped to. Suddenly, she looked up at me. I smiled not knowing what else to do.

She smiled back, but it faded quickly. "It's come to my understanding that you and Mr. Malfoy are now partners. Is this correct?"

My face flushed and I cleared my throat. "Yes.. Professor."

She nodded, looking at me over her spectacles. "And the two of you are happy I presume?"

I considered the question and then nodded. "Yes, I think so."

She nodded again, looking back down at her book. "Potter, I think there's something you should know."

"What is it, professor?"

"It's about Mr. Malfoy." She paused, looking at me over her glasses. "I'm afraid It's quite serious."

She closed the red book on her desk and handed it to me. I looked up at her as I opened it, afraid of it's contents. She spoke quietly and gently. "It has come to my attention that Mr. Malfoy has been in contact with Thorfinn Rowle, who has been in hiding since Voldemort's downfall, avoiding imprisionment."

My mouth dropped open and I wanted to laugh in disbelief. I closed the book without looking at it and tossed it onto her desk. "That's impossible." I crossed my arms.

She sighed, trying to hand the book back to me. "Mr. Potter, please."

I refused to take the book, not wanting to admit that Draco could be involved with this.

She shook her head and opened the book, reading the first page.

"Malfoy,  
I have news about your mother. Please reply immediately.  
Rowle."

She looked at me sadly, and looked back down at the next page.

"Rowle,  
What do you know? Can you help me?  
Malfoy."

"Malfoy,  
I know a few spells that might be more helpful than anything you can find in Knockturn Alley. Be at HogsHead Saturday night at 7 and we can discuss the details.  
Rowle."

My mind flashed to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, and how I had seen him and his mother go in there not too long ago. Could Draco really be involving himself in Dark Magic again? I shook my head trying to clear my mind.

"Rowle,  
Thank you for your assistance yesterday, I practiced on a few first years this morning and your spells worked. I'll be trying it on my mother this weekend.  
Malfoy."

I have had enough of this. I stood up, walking to the door. Professor McGonagall's voice made me stop. "Mr. Potter, Please. If Mr. Malfoy is involving himself with dark magic again, I need to know. There is nothing in these letters which clearly tell me what he is trying to do. It is my purpose to protect my students, and I will do so at the expense of Mr. Malfoy."

My hand was resting on the door. All I knew is that I needed to talk to Draco about these letters and ask him what was really going on. I didn't want McGonagall to expel him without giving him a chance to explain. I remembered yesterday, and how Draco had told me that McGonagall suspected him of using Dark Magic, so that means she must have told him something?

I turned around, taking a deep breath. "Does Draco know that you have seen these letters?"

She shook her head. "I tried telling him yesterday when he was here, but he left as soon as I mentioned anything about Dark Magic." She stepped around her desk, walking toward me. "I need your help, Mr. Potter."

I nodded, taking the book from her hands. "Are these copies of the letters or are they written by you?"

"Copies. Why?"

I swallowed, opening the book and looking down. To my disappointment, there before me was Draco's beautiful cursive print. Unmistakable. I handed the book back to her.

"That's Draco's writing." I muttered.

I walked back over to my chair. "What do you need me to do, Professor?"


	6. The Duel

I spent the rest of the day thinking about the letters McGonagall had shown me and the conversation we had. She told me that I was to act normal around Draco, and not mention the letters. When I got back to the common room after dinner I told Ron and Hermione what happened in McGonagall's office.

Hermione clutched her necklace as if someone were going to take it from her.

"Well.. That doesn't really mean anything... Who know's what Rowle has been up to." She looked around desperately.

Ron shook his head, probably trying not to say anything after his slip up in the Three Broomsticks.

None of us could come up with a logical theory as to why Draco would be contacting a Death eater about a spell to use on his mum. One main thing confused me, though.

"Draco and his mum have always been close. Why would he want to hurt her? If it weren't for his mum I'd probably be dead right now." I paused, the silence was suffocating. Finally Hermione spoke.

"Alright so... we are assuming that Draco doesn't mean his mother harm.. but he was looking for something in Knockturn Alley to use on his mum. So.. what in Knockturn Alley is good?" Silence, yet again.

I sighed, leaning back against the sofa as I looked into the fire. "I guess I'll just have to see what happens."

We sat there for a while, throwing around ideas. After Ron started snoring we decided it was time to go to bed.

I opened my door, seeing Draco asleep on his half of the bed, cloaked in moonlight. I closed the door, looking at him as he slept. He seemed so peaceful. So relaxed. I sat on the bed next to him, pushing his hair off his face and kissing his forehead. His grey eyes opened slightly and he smiled up at me sleepily.

"Hey." He said, his voice low and soft.

"Hey." I said, gently stroking his hair.

He closed his eyes again, his smile slowly fading as he drifted back to sleep. I listened as his breathing got deeper. No matter what he was doing now, I knew that I still wanted him. I was afraid of losing him.

"Draco, I'm scared." He laid there, unmoving. "I don't want to lose you." My voice caught in my throat as I ran my fingers through his soft hair. "Draco.. I love you." My words echoed in the room, unheard by anyone other than me.

* * *

The next morning went normally. Breakfast, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, lunch. Drarry the Mandrake is still throwing tantrums, Luna and Neville aren't officially dating, Ron and Hermione are practically married, and everything was as it always had been. We were all sitting in the common room finishing up an essay for Snape when Draco stood.

"I need to go to the Owlry, I'll be right back." He leaned to kiss my cheek but an idea occurred to me.

"Oh, Draco, wait. I have a letter I need to send, I'll come with you." I scribbled down a note on a piece of parchment and quickly went to meet him at the door.

The weather was nice and crisp, the wind was blowing quite strongly, and it felt nice against my face.

"So, who are you writing to?" He asked, his hair being pushed back by the wind.

"Ron's mum. I stayed there for a few weeks over the summer and I wanted to thank her."

"That's sweet." He said, smiling down at me.

I smiled back. "Who are you writing to?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at the letter in his hands and considering it.

He turned his grey eyes back on me. "Old friend of my mum's." He smiled, rubbing the wax seal on the letter with his thumb. At least he didn't lie to me. "Say, what are you doing this weekend, Potter?"

"Nothing as far as I know. Why?" I looked up at him, his ears were a bit pink.

"Well I need to drop by the manor to see my mum, and I just wanted to know if you wanted to come along." He looked down at his hands, shrugging as if it didn't really matter, but his eyes gave him away.

My stomach flipped as I remembered the letters in McGonagall's office saying that he was going to try a spell on his mum this weekend. I guessed that McGonagall would want me to go to try and prevent something bad from happening. I felt bad for not telling him about McGonagall, but I didn't know what he was involved in.

"Yeah of course, that sounds nice." I smiled at him, trying not to feel guilty.

His shoulders relaxed and he seemed relieved.

"Brilliant." He smiled at me, ears turning red. "I was planning to apparate, but we can take the train if you prefer."

I shrugged. "I'm okay with apparating."

He nodded, shivering a bit.

"Cold?" I asked, drawing my wand to cast a warming spell on his clothes.

"Yeah, a lit-" His letter flew out of his grasp, he grabbed for it but it was thrashing around in the wind.

"Accio Parchment!" I shouted.

The letter struggled to make its way into my hands. I looked down at it, the seal was a beautiful black and grey marbled wax with two arrows forming an X and the Initials D.L.M. in the triangles the X made.

"Thanks, Potter." He said, walking over and outstretching his hand to take the letter.

I nodded curtly and handed it to him. "Draco, what's your middle name?"

His jaw clenched as if I had insulted him. Through his teeth he spoke. "Lucius."

"Oh." I felt like I needed to apologize. I should have known, really, what else did I expect?

We had reached the stairs of the Owlry. He shivered again.

"Oh, right." I said as I cast a warming charm on his clothes.

He thanked me as we walked in, grabbing the nearest barn owls to attach our letters to their legs. I sent mine off, and turned around to see Draco looking out the window. I walked up to him and linked my arm in his, leaning my head on his shoulder much like Hermione does to me.

He sighed. "I think I need to go see my father."

I didn't say anything, but he rested his cheek on the top of my head, inhaling deeply. "Do you think we could go on Friday? It will only take an hour or so."

I nodded. "Of course, Draco. Whatever you need to do."

I wondered what that confrontation would be like. I can just imagine his father's cold glare on me, hatred flooding onto my body even from behind the walls of a jail cell. I assumed that his mother couldn't hate me too much being that she was basically the reason I was still alive.

We stood there for a while and looked out over the mountains, only starting to go back up to the castle when we saw the sunset.

* * *

Upon entering the common room, both Ron and Hermione stood, giving me urgent looks. Draco told me that he was going to take a shower, kissed me on the cheek and headed upstairs. I immediately walked over to where Ron and Hermione were, letting them pull me down onto the couch in a huddle.

"So?" Hermione asked, grabbing at my arm. "What happened?"

"I think he sent a letter to Rowle. I asked who he was sending his letter to and he said he was sending it to an old friend of his mum's."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "So he didn't lie.. but he didn't exactly tell the truth either."

"Yeah." I said, remembering I had thought that exact thing earlier. "He also wants me to go with him to see his mum this weekend."

Hermione gasped, and Ron looked alarmed, but didn't say anything. "Harry, you don't think..." Hermione trailed off, looking at me worriedly.

"I don't know what to think anymore. He also said he's going to go see his dad and he wants me to come with him." At this I thought Hermione was going to fall off the couch.

"He what?! I mean he can't possibly expect you to- to go see him after all he's done!" She looked appalled.

"Well.. I've already said I'd go." She leaned back in shock. "I don't have a problem with Lucius, I'm just afraid of what he might do when he sees me."

Hermione was- for once- speechless. She stared at me open mouthed for a while, seemingly frozen. After a nudge from Ron she straightened up.

"That's.. That's very mature of you, Harry." She said.

I laughed a little. "Always a surprise." She and Ron laughed at that. "I'm sure McGonagall caught Draco's owl earlier, so she will more than likely want me to see her tomorrow. I'll tell her about all of this when I see her I guess." A twinge of guilt in my stomach formed when I thought about it. I felt bad for telling McGonagall what Draco was up to, but if it spared him from getting expelled or rushed off to Azkaban for communicating with a known criminal then I guess its okay. Right?

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, telling Ron and Hermione that I was headed to sleep.

* * *

I was laying on our bed reading when Draco walked in, his hair pushed back and his towel thrown across his shoulder. He tossed his towel in the air, hitting it with a drying spell. It hovered for a moment, then folded itself and landed on the floor near his trunk. He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking through the drawers of the bureau, the muscles in his back moving under his pale skin. I set my book down, reaching my hand out to feel his soft, cool skin underneath my fingers. He turned around, smiling. He reached his arm out, touching my face.

"Hey." He said, his eyes crinkling up as he smiled.

"Hey." I replied, smiling back at him.

He leaned over and kissed me gently, beginning to pull back after a second. I slid my hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling him back towards me to kiss him. I could feel his smile on my lips. He wrapped one of his strong arms around my waist and pulled me toward him. He kissed his way down my neck, tugging on my hair gently. He gently bit down on the crook of my neck, softly kissing it afterwards and then moving back up to my lips.

His hand was still on my waist, his arm resting on my thigh as we kissed. His legs were hanging off the bed still, and I remembered one thing that I wanted to do to him since the second day we were here together.

I sat up slowly as I kissed him, bringing him up with me. I folded one leg underneath me, swinging my other leg over him and folding it on the other side. I pushed my fingers into his hair and pulled down, causing him to expose more of his neck. His hands grabbed at my back, pulling me toward him as I kissed and nibbled and licked every inch of his neck. I lifted my face up, seeing his grey eyes flutter open.

I rested my elbows on his shoulders, kissing him deeply. He ran his tongue along the roof of my mouth, taking my upper lip in between his teeth and gently tugging. He inhaled as he kissed me, using his strong arms to press me into him, causing my hardening erection to rub against his lower stomach. I broke our kiss, gasping at the pressure, grinding my hips into him as he pulled me forward again.

I pushed him backwards, kissing him as I rubbed our two erections together. Draco inhaled sharply at the contact, firmly grabbing my hips to create more friction. I kissed my way down his neck and chest, flicking my tongue out every so often, causing Draco's body to shiver beneath me. I tugged down on his waistband, glancing up to make sure it was alright. He arched his back, making it easier for me to pull off his pants. I kissed my way up his inner thighs, sliding my hands up his slender waist. I lifted my head up and paused, waiting for Draco to look at me.

As soon as his grey eyes met mine, I licked all the way up his long dick, sucking gently on the tip. Draco's eyes rolled back and closed as he dropped his head back onto the bed, his hand knotting into his hair as he gasped.

"Ohh.. Fuck." He breathed.

I tried to remember what he had done to me. I flicked my tongue on the tip of his dick, sucking a little harder and taking more of him into my mouth. I felt his dick hit the back of my throat and I swallowed, knowing how amazing it felt. Draco inhaled sharply, and I swallowed again, pushing my head to where my forehead was resting on his stomach. He grabbed at the sheets and pulled on them, his mouth opening slightly as his breath got caught in his throat. I pulled my head back, bobbing up and down for a minute, rubbing my tongue against the underside of his dick. I pulled back almost completely removing him from my mouth, then suddenly I pushed my head forward, taking all of him into my mouth to where my lips were at the base. He lifted his hips, taking a shaky breath. I slowly pulled backwards, pressing my tongue on the underside of his penis the entire way. When I got to the tip I sucked and pulled him all the way back in.

"Fuck, Harry. I'm going to cum." I swallowed around his dick, flicking the tip with my tongue.

"Ohh.. Shit." He shivered beneath me as he released himself into my mouth.

I swallowed, licking the tip of his dick one last time before I kissed both of his inner thighs and then started making my way back up to his lips. I could smell his sweat mixing with his naturally sweet scent. I inhaled deeply as I kissed his neck. His breathing was still fast shaky when I kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me as his breathing slowed down, kissing the side of my head.

I grabbed my wand off the bureau, swishing it and making our covers wrap around us. I traced circles onto his chest with my fingers as we fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, I got a letter from McGonagall asking for me to go to her office. I assumed she had read the most recent letters that Draco sent to Rowle. I looked over the letter at Draco who was now in conversation with Blaise. I still couldn't believe that Draco was involved in something dangerous. I mean there had to be something that we were missing. Right? It felt like someone was squeezing my heart.

Ron, Draco and I got up to go to Defense Against the Dark arts.

"So, erm... How are you doing?" Ron asked Draco awkwardly.

Draco didn't answer for a second, and noticing the silence he looked at Ron over my head.

"Oh! Sorry, are you talking to me?" He looked honestly apologetic.

Ron nodded and said. "Erm.. Yeah. I was."

"I'm quite well, thank you for asking. What about yourself?" Draco replied.

Ron answered in an alarmingly high voice. "Me? Oh, well I'm great. Fantastic, really. Yeah." He swallowed hard, clearing his throat and glancing at me.

I almost laughed at how awkward they were. I smiled at Ron thankfully, I know that talking to Draco was against basically everything he had grown up knowing. His father and Draco's father were basically rivals, and I was again thankful of Ron's friendship. Once we got to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ron turned to me.

"Hey, erm, we should all hang out sometime. You know, me, Hermione, you and Ma- Draco." He cleared his throat again nervously.

"Oh um yeah that sounds great Ron, I'm sure he'd like that." I smiled at him. "We should all go to Hogsmeade next weekend. Let's ask Hermione in Herbology."

"Yeah, cool." He nodded, looking down at his textbook. "Cool.." He said again, probably not realizing it.

"Potter, Zabini." I looked over at Snape's portrait as he said my name. "Please come to the front of the class. We are going to review dueling. You are both familiar with the rules, yes?"

I nodded, beginning to get up. I looked over at Blaise who was staring at Snape with his mouth opened. Millicent nudged his arm and he didn't move. She elbowed him in the side and started whispering to him.

"Get up you tosser, Snape said so." She muttered.

"I don't care what Snape said, no way." Blaise replied.

"Why not? What's the big deal?" She questioned.

"The biG DEAL?" His voice getting higher than a whisper now. "Big deal is that he took down bloody Voldemort and what am I compared to that?"

Millicent rolled her eyes and pushed him out of his chair, forcing him to stand up. I stood at the front of the class awkwardly, pretending like I didn't hear what Blaise had just said.

Once Blaise had joined me in front of the class Snape spoke again.

"Thank you, Mr. Zabini, for finally joining us." Snape said, causing Millicent to snicker. "Please form dueling positions."

Blaise and I bowed to each other before forming our dueling positions, wands held in front of us, other arm in the air above us. I could see the tip of Blaise's wand shaking as he faced me.

"You will duel using protective shields and nonverbal spells. Obviously life threatening spells are not to be used. The winner will stay at the front, and a new volunteer will step forward. Understand?"

Blaise and I nodded. I could see a bead of sweat drip down Blaise's forehead.

"Begin."

 _Expelliarmus_ I thought, and a blue jet shot out of my wand at Blaise. His wand flew from his hand and I caught it, shocked.

Snape gave a defeated sigh as I handed Blaise's wand back to him.

"Who's next?" Snape asked.

Millicent Bulstrode stood up, patting Blaise's shoulder as she walked to the front of the room. We bowed to each other, forming our dueling positions.

"Begin." Snape said.

A yellow burst of light flashed out of her wand, followed by two red ones. I blocked the first one, dodging the second and third, sending an _Impediamente_ her way as I stood up again. She blocked it, sending a blue light right past my ear as I thought _Incarcerous_ and her legs tied together, causing her to fall forward. _Expelliarmus_. Her wand flew into my hand. I released her legs, holding out my hand to help her up as I handed her wand. She sat down in a huff, crossing her arms.

"Next?" Snape asked.

Neville stood up. I smiled at him, which he returned, but then he knocked his chair over as he jumped at Snape's voice.

"Longbottom."

Neville straightened his chair, walking hurriedly to the front of the class.

We began to duel, and Neville was surprisingly good. He blocked three of my spells and hit me with _Langlock_ , but he put his wand down thinking he had won, which is when I hit him with a _Jelly-Fingers_ curse, causing him to drop his wand.

"Well done, Longbottom." Snape said.

I looked at Snape to see if he was joking, but he looked sincere. Neville had frozen mid-sit to look up at Snape.

"Th-th-thank you, P-professor." He sat down with a thud, looking at me incredulously. I shook my head, smilling.

I reversed the _Langlock_ spell as Ron stepped forward to duel me. We were practically laughing as we looked over our wands at one another. We had dueled with each other before, so we went back and forth for a while before I sent his wand flying.

Pansy stepped up, shaking. I had taken her wand within 30 seconds of us dueling.

"Next?" Snape said as I handed Pansy her wand.

I looked around, trying to find someone I hadn't dueled with. My eyes froze on Draco, who was smirking at me. He stood up slowly, lazily tucking his hands in his pockets. My stomach knotted. I glanced at Ron who looked like he'd very much like a bag of Dragon Roasted Nuts for his enjoyment of the show.

"Form your positions." Snape said cooly.

Draco and I bowed, forming our dueling positions. Draco was still smirking at me from over his wand, a blonde hair resting on his forehead. His grey eyes were piercing. He looked fierce, regardless of his smile. His angular face slightly tilted down causing sharp shadows, his steady hand was unwavering, and the sleeves of his dress shirt were slightly rolled up, exposing his smooth, pale arms. The only thing I could hear was my heart beat, feeling it in my fingertips.

"Begin." The word was barely out of Snape's mouth before a flash of red light came at me. I blocked it- barely- sending three quick spells toward Draco. He dodged them smoothly, shooting a jet of water at me. I made it evaporate, and blocked two more spells.

I shot every spell I could think of. _Expelliarmus, Levicorpus, Confundo, Rictusempra, Impediamenta_ and on and on, Draco blocked every one easily, flicking another one right back at me. His delicate fingers seemed to be barely clutching his wand, but he aimed with precision. We went on like that for what seemed like hours. Swishing our wands, with a never ending stream of colored light. Draco's smirk never faltered. I shot him with _Diprimo_ , making a burst of air push blonde hair backwards as he blocked it. Damn he was attractive.

I barely missed a red jet of light, throwing him three quick jinxes and then _Avis_ , shooting a flock of birds from my wand. He glanced up for one moment, taken aback by the birds, but I took advantage of his distraction, hitting him with _Obscuro_. A blindfold appeared over his eyes as he shot a spell, which I blocked. _Expelliarmus_. The class stood in applause as his wand flew into my hand.

I walked over to Draco, untying the blindfold on his face caused by my spell. He turned around, still smirking, and plucked his wand from my hand. He pecked me on the lips, causing me to blush.

"Good game, Potter." He said as he turned around, gracefully walking back to his seat.

"Well done, gentleman. Ladies." Snape said, sounding as bored as always. I sat down next to Ron who nudged me.

"Good job, mate."

"Thanks." I looked at Draco, who was leaning back in his chair. He glanced over at me and winked.

* * *

After lunch I headed up to McGonagall's office.

"Albus." I said to the Gargoyle, watching as it sprung aside.

I knocked on the door, waiting to hear McGonagall's voice.

She opened the door a moment later. "Come in, Potter."

I walked in, seeing the red book sitting on her desk. I turned around to look at her. She was facing me, looking quite sad.

"Professor? Are you alright?"

She nodded solemnly. Walking over to her desk. I saw Severus Snape in a portrait on the wall, quietly observing. I nodded to him, he nodded back. I turned my attention back to McGonagall as she handed me the book. She turned and faced the bookshelf behind her desk as I opened it.

"Rowle,  
McGonagall suspects me of using Dark Magic. Do you think she's seen these letters? What should I do? Please reply immediately.  
Malfoy."

"Malfoy,  
Be cautious when sending letters, make sure no one is around, and watch the owl to see if interception occurs.  
Rowle."

"Rowle,  
I'm planning on seeing father this weekend. Also decided that I'd try that spell on my mother, too. Harry Potter is coming with me to see both. Hopefully our plan will work.  
Malfoy."

"Malfoy,  
Potter is a skilled wizard, see if he can help with your mum. Are you going to tell your dad about this?  
Rowle."

"Rowle,  
No, he will know what I've done when he sees her. I couldn't talk to him about it at the prison, too many people listening. It's not exactly something I want people knowing. Potter and I are seeing him tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.  
Malfoy."

I closed the book as soon as I finished, setting it down on McGonagall's desk.

"I intercepted the last three earlier this morning. Did you agree to go see Draco's father and mother this weekend?" McGonagall asked, not turning around.

"Yes. Why does that matter? I thought you might want me to go and keep an eye on him." I was confused, trying to figure out what all these letters meant.

"Are you planning to assist Mr. Malfoy in the use of suspected Dark Magic upon his mother?"

My mouth dropped open. They could not be serious. "Wh-what? Professor. You don't honestly think-" She turned around, a hint of anger and sadness in her eyes.

Snape spoke from his portrait.s "Are you planning an attempt to break Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban?"

I nearly laughed. I sat down, feeling dizzy. This could not be happening. "Why in Merlin's name would I try and break a Death Eater our of prison? And why would I try to hurt Narcissa Malfoy? She saved my life. Professor-" I looked at her, trying to get her to find reason in what she was saying. I mean I was basically the cause of the ending to the dark side of wizardry, are they honestly asking me these questions right now? I sat there looking back and forth between them in complete disbelief of what they were asking me.

She sighed, sitting down behind her desk. "Professor Snape and I believe that Draco Malfoy and Thorfinn Rowle are going to attempt to break Lucius Malfoy out of prison. We believe that Mr. Malfoy is planning on temporarily transfiguring his mother into some sort of object that can be placed in Azkaban, and from the inside she can use magic to get Lucius Malfoy out, long after Mr. Malfoy is gone."

"Professor, that's impossible. Draco does not want his father out of prison." I said.

She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Is that so, Mr. Potter?"

I nodded. "He doesn't want anything to do with his father. He hasn't been to see him at all since he's been in there."

"How do you know that he isn't just saying that to play down suspicions?" Snape said from his portrait.

"Because! He doesn't want his father out. There has to be another explanation to all of this." I grabbed the book, reading the letters again, trying to prove Draco innocent.

"Mr. Potter, I know that now that you and Mr. Malfoy are an item, it might make it difficult to see-"

"No, Professor." She stopped talking, shocked that I had interrupted her. "Even if we weren't together, I know that Draco Malfoy wants nothing to do with his father. His father brought darkness into his life which caused him to do things he would have never done if it were up to him. He had Voldemort running death eater headquarters at his house! What other choice did he have! All Draco wanted to do while he was growing up was please his father and make him happy. Now that Lucius is gone, Draco can finally be who he wants to be without his father breathing down his neck. The last thing that Draco wants is for his father to be freed. I don't know what other explanation there is to these letters, but it is not what you think it is." I was breathing hard, looking at her desperately, wanting her to understand.

She rubbed her forehead, dropping her hand to look at Professor Snape.

"Severus.. What do you think?"

He sighed through his nostrils, thinking hard. He spoke slowly."I think that we should give the boy a chance." I sighed, relieved.

McGonagall nodded, seeming to come to her senses. "Potter, be sure that he is not doing anything suspicious, if anything alarms you, send your Patronus back here and I will be there immediately."

I nodded, relieved that they weren't about to drag Draco off to Azkaban or something. "I will professor. Believe me, nothing is going to happen. Draco isn't like that anymore. He has no reason to be."

She nodded, looking at me with concern. After a minute she sighed again, turning to professor Snape. "Thank you, Severus, that will be all." He nodded jerkily, turning and walking out of his portrait.

"Be safe, Potter. I'll expect you back here tomorrow night with Draco in hand and Lucius still very much in prison."

I nodded. "Yes, professor."

I stood up and walked out, wishing I could apparate right into bed.

* * *

I walked in to my dorm to see Draco standing near the bed, looking down at a book in his hands. His shirt was off and his wand was out. He didn't turn around when I walked in. I paused in the doorway, not knowing what to do.

"Should I come back later?" He turned around quickly, snapping his book shut.

"Potter! I didn't hear you come in." He flicked his wand and the book disappeared. He set his wand down on the bureau, avoiding my eyes.

"Where's your shirt?" I asked, looking around for it.

"It sort of... disintegrated." His ears turned pink.

I closed the door behind me. "Right." I gave him a small smile.

He smiled, stepping toward me and reaching his hand out to grab my waist. His chest felt warmer than normal, despite it being bare. There was a flush in his cheeks, causing his pale skin to turn slightly pink, making him look boyish.

He was smiling widely. "I've written a letter to mother asking about this weekend, I'll send it off tomorrow morning before Defense Against the Dark Arts. She will say yes, of course. Did you want to leave on Saturday or Sunday?"

I shrugged. "Either day is good with me." His mood was contagious, and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

He nodded, leaning back and forth, sort of swaying with me. He reached up and grabbed my hands, pushing me away from him and pulling me back. He pushed me away again, letting go of one of my hands, pulling me back to him in a spin to where my back was now pressed up against his chest.

I laughed. "Draco, what are you doing?"

He kissed the side of my forehead, wrapping his arms around me, one hand still intertwined in mine. "Dancing with my boyfriend. What are you doing?"

I blushed scarlet, glad he couldn't see my face.

* * *

After a while of dancing, Draco laughed and said. "Alright, I'll let you go for now. I need to take a shower." He kissed me and grabbed his towel, swinging it over his shoulder and winking back at me as he closed the door.

I sat down on the bed for a moment. My face was hurting from how much I had been smiling. I looked around our room, my eyes landing on my own towel. I guess I could use a shower, too.

I grabbed my towel and pajamas, heading for the washroom. I heard the other shower running, assuming it was Draco. Swinging my towel over the edge, and taking off my clothes, I smirked.

"No singing tonight, Draco?" I asked.

"Shut it, Potter." I could hear him smiling.

I turned on my shower and closed my eyes, letting the water run over my face. After the shampoo had cleared from my hair, I shut my water off, grabbing my towel. I heard Draco's shower still running as I dried off and put my pajamas on. I looked at my watch sitting on the bench.

"You know, Draco, It's not that late. We have time to go to the Owlry to send that letter now if you want." I rubbed my hair with my towel, drying it off a little more.

"Draco?" He didn't reply. I tossed my towel onto the bench, stepping closer to the curtain.

"Hello? Draco?" I was beginning to think he had just left without turning his shower off.

I pulled back the shower curtain, reaching for the knob. I looked down as I turned it off and saw Draco slumped up against the wall, his towel crumpled up on his chest, his head lolling back.

"DRACO!" I fell to my knees, grabbing his face and shoulder. I shook him gently at first, and then more vigorously when he didn't open his eyes.

"DRACO! PLEASE!" My heart was pounding in my ears and I couldn't breathe.

"S-SOMEBODY HELP! PLEASE! ANYBODY!" I screamed so loud I thought my lungs were going to fly out of my mouth. My chest was collapsing. It felt like my world was crashing around me.


	7. Rowle and Rintriata

"DRACO!" I held his head in both of my hands. "Draco! Please!" I rested my forehead on his. "Please.."

I heard the slamming of the door opening behind me, it was Ron and Dean.

"What the bloody hell is- Oh my God!" Ron started, but stopped talking as soon as he saw Draco.

Dean came rushing over to us, pulling Draco out of the shower, laying him flat on the floor. Ron ran out of the room as Seamus, Blaise and Neville came charging in. Dean was holding Draco's head still, keeping his neck straight, and checking his pulse. He looked at me, worried.

I shook my head, looking down at Draco, holding his hand. Thirty seconds later Professor McGonagall came in with Ron, both panting.

"What's going on in here?" She looked at me, then down at Draco and gasped. She bent down, feeling his forehead. "He's burning up. He will need to see Madam Pomfrey immediately. Mr. Weasley, please go wake her. Tell her to meet us in the hospital wing." Ron nodded, still panting, and ran down the stairs. I heard the Common Room door slam as he left.

Professor McGonagall swished her wand, levitating him delicately and wrapping his towel tight around his midsection.

"Potter, if you wouldn't mind assisting me, I don't want to drop the poor boy."

"Oh, right." I took out my wand from my jeans on the bench, swishing my wand and saying "Mobilicorpus." There was an obvious strength in the levitation now. My hand was shaking, my heart beating so hard it caused my hair to twitch.

She and I carried him all the way to the hospital wing, Blaise and Pansy right behind.

* * *

We gently laid him in the bed, Pansy pulled the covers on him. Madam Pomfrey shuffled over quickly, waving her wand around his head and prodding different parts of his body.

I stood near and watched as she worked. I had never seen Draco look so vulnerable. So weak. His cheeks were rosy, clashing with his blonde hair, and he was shivering as if he were cold. The pain in my chest was growing stronger. Professor McGonagall rested her hand on my shoulder, looking at me worriedly. I looked over at Pansy, who had her face buried in Blaise's shoulder. He had his arms wrapped around her and was looking at Draco with concern.

After what seemed like hours, Madam Pomfrey spoke. "It seems that Mr. Malfoy is suffering from the after effects of some very advanced magic. It will be a while until he recovers, it is quite serious, I'm afraid. One does wonder how he encountered such a spell." At this she paused and looked at Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall nodded, looking down at Draco. She stepped forward, pushing his wet hair off his forehead. "I'll have a word with him when he wakes up. When do you think he will be well?"

Madam Pomfrey looked at her wand as if she were reading something. "I'd say three days. Maybe four, depending on how resilient he is. Recovery time will be at least a week. I'm just glad we got to the boy in time, it could have been a lot worse."

McGonagall nodded, turning her attention to Blaise and Pansy. "You two, please go back to your dormitories. You will be notified of the visiting hours for Mr. Malfoy."

They nodded, Pansy, looking teary eyed, slowly walked out, looking at Draco for as long as possible. I began to walk toward the door, thinking that McGonagall would tell me to leave, too.

"Mr. Potter." She turned around and flicked her wand at me. I thought she was going to zap me with a spell of some sort, and I winced, closing my eyes. "Potter, what are you doing?" I opened my eyes, looking around. There was a chair behind me.

"Oh.." I reddened, feeling stupid.

"Have a seat. Leave here when you are ready. I will inform Professor Snape that you might be late for class tomorrow." She gave me a small smile.

"Thank you, professor."

"You're welcome." She looked back at Draco. "Goodnight, Mr. Potter. Thank you, Poppy." She turned around and left, shutting the doors behind her with a thud.

Madam Pomfrey hovered near me for a bit, obviously wanting me to leave as these were not regular visiting hours. After a few minutes, she huffed and walked back to her office.

I got up and sat on the edge of Draco's bed, holding his hand as I pushed the hair off his face. I leaned down and kissed his forehead, closing my eyes and inhaling his crisp scent. He smelt exactly the same. Stormy and sweet. When I pulled my face away, I half expected him to be smiling up at me sleepily, as he always did, but his eyes remained shut. I ran my fingers through his damp hair, wishing with all I had that he'd wake up.

* * *

The next morning I woke up sitting in the chair next to Draco's bed. His hand was now hanging off the bed toward me, and he was turned over facing my direction. He must have woken up and seen me sitting next to him. I tucked his hand back into the covers, pulling them up to his neck and tucking them around him. He was still shaking a little. I kissed his forehead, sitting down on the side of the bed again. I sat there and stroked his hair, waiting for something- anything- to happen.

The door creaked open behind me. I glanced over, seeing Hermione and Ron. They walked over to me, Hermione wrapped her arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.

"How is he, Harry?" She asked quietly.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Madam Pomfrey said it might take a week for him to recover."

Hermione didn't say anything, but she fiddled with her necklace, which was now grey with a little line of water on the bottom half of the circle.

"I, er, brought some of his clothes. I hope they're okay." Ron put a set of folded clothes on the table next to his bed. Black trousers and a dress shirt. Shiny shoes and a posh tie.

"They're great, thanks Ron." There was a lump in my throat, I looked down at Draco's flushed face, blinking quickly.

"Harry, I-" Hermione was cut off when she saw Draco open his eyes.

Draco tried to sit up, grabbing at my arm trying to get leverage. His eyes were wide open, and he looked scared. His usually smooth voice was now shaky and weak. "Harry P-Please. I- need-" His head fell back onto his pillow and he started jerking violently.

"MADAM POMFREY!" Hermione yelled. I tried holding Draco's head still as he shook, but he was thrashing around so forcefully it was difficult to hold him down.

Madam Pomfrey walked through the curtains a moment later, flicking her wand at him. He was still almost immediately. I still had my hands on his face, and I let my head drop onto his chest as tears rolled down my cheeks.

Hermione put her hand on my back, I heard her sniff. "It's odd seeing him like this... He's usually so... Put together."

I sat up, wiping my face off and inhaling deeply. I turned to look at them.

"I need to find Thorfinn Rowle."

"Harry, that's not-" Hermione stopped talking when she saw the determination on my face.

"He's the only one who knows what kind of Magic Draco has been messing with. I need to find him." I said, looking back and forth between her and Ron.

Hermione looked up at Ron, who nodded his head at her once. She inhaled, looking at me.

"Alright, I have an idea, but it might not work." She sat down in the chair next to the bed, leaning forward so that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear.

* * *

Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts dragged by. Many people came up to me to ask how Draco was doing, which surprised me. When he first got here the only people who would talk to him were Blaise, Millicent and Pansy.

Everyone from 8th year, about half of the 7th years, and a few straggling 6th years all asked how he was. Maybe they had realized that he had changed, too. Mrs. Sprout told me that I still needed to take care of our Mandrake even though Draco was in the hospital, which I was obviously going to do. It should reach Its adult stage right as Draco recovers.

It didn't feel right taking care of our Mandrake without Draco here. He always knew exactly what to do and the order in which to do it. I felt like a bumbling idiot, searching through my textbook for spells to measure the nutrients and water in the soil. Draco is far more skilled at these kinds of things. He always had an answer to everything, and it was always correct. He and Hermione constantly have conversations about topics that are far over mine and Ron's head. We always sit there shaking our heads at how ridiculously intelligent they are. It's become the typical common room/ dinner situation; Ron and I struggling to finish homework at the last minute while Hermione and Draco converse about ridiculously large books pertaining to incredibly dull subjects.

I sighed, giving up on trying to find the spell which lets me measure the leaf's flexibility. I shut my book and rested my forehead on my arms, waiting for Professor Sprout to dismiss class.

* * *

"Harry, wake up." I heard an unfamiliar voice from across the room, looking up to find that I was in McGonagall's office.

I saw Snape standing in his portrait, glaring at me.

"Professor, how did I get here?" My voice sounded slow, like it was hard for me to talk. I couldn't lift my arms, and I looked down at them. They were tied by something that looked strikingly like Devil's Snare. I tried to tug my arms free, but it felt like the muscles in them had turned to jelly. I looked back up at Snape. "Professor! Please, help me!"

He continued to look down at me distastefully.

Suddenly, Snape stepped forward from his portrait. He jumped down to the floor, black robes swishing around him, greasy hair falling in his face. "Silence, Potter."

From behind him, I saw a tall figure with blond hair step out of the shadows. I gasped. "Rowle! Professor, behind you!"

Snape turned around, seeing Rowle. He outstretched his hand, lips curling up. "Thorfinn, It's good to see you."

Rowle shook it. "It's been a while." He replied gruffly.

They both drew their wands and pointed them in my direction

"Severus." I turned my head to see Professor McGonagall standing to my right, looking at Snape. "Please."

Together, Snape and Rowle shouted. "Avada Kadavra!" And sent two blasts of green light towards McGonagall's chest.

Suddenly I was on top of the Astronomy tower, watching as McGonagall fell, her hair undoing from it's bun, her hands outstretched toward me.

"NOOO!" I screamed, turning back to face Rowle and Snape. At first I thought they were fighting. They were grabbing at each other's clothes and making unruly noises, but as I looked at their faces I realized they were... kissing?

"What the fu-?"

I felt a sharp pain in my side and I sat up with a start, looking around me. I was sitting in my Herbology classroom, Ron was standing next to me looking at me like I was crazy.

"Wh-what's going on." I looked around me trying to find Snape and Rowle.

"You were sleeping, mate." He said, looking at my forehead and plucking a piece of paper off of it. "I was just wonderin if you needed some help with your Mandrake. You were jumping around a lot. What were you dreaming about?"

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. "Believe me, you don't want to know."

* * *

I went to see Draco as soon as I finished my lunch. Madam Pomfrey said that he had woken up, but not enough to say anything. I kissed his forehead, whispering that I'd be back later.

I walked quickly to the common room, sitting down at the couch near the fire with Ron and Hermione. I pulled out the note Draco had left floating above me a few days ago, handing it to Hermione. She studied the note, scribbling a few words down on another sheet of parchment.

"Okay, I think I nearly have it." She pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, biting her lip in concentration. She wrote slowly, leaning away and studying her writing after she was done.

"How's this, Harry?" She handed me the parchment.

I took it from her, it looked exactly like Draco's writing. The letter read as follows;

"Rowle,  
There has been a complication with visiting my father. Please meet me at Hogshead tomorrow night at 8, we need to talk.  
Malfoy."

I nodded, handing it back to her. "Spot on, Hermione."

She smiled happily. "Thanks. Do you have the sealing wax?" She asked as she folded the note in thirds.

I pulled Draco's sealing wax and stamp out from my rucksack, handing it to Hermione. She produced a small flame with her wand, melting the wax onto the paper. It fell in droplets of black and grey onto the parchment. Hermione pressed the stamp into the wax. When she pulled it off, there was a perfect imprint of Draco's initials inside of an X.

"Bloody brilliant, you are." Ron said as he looked at the parchment. Hermione blushed.

"Thank you." She turned to me. "I'll go to the owlry tomorrow morning. I have to drop by and see Professor Flitwick about a charm I saw in the book I'm reading, so I'll be back in a few hours." She kissed my cheek, then kissed Ron, getting up and wrapping her coat around her, walking out with the letter safely tucked away.

I picked up Draco's wax seal, turning it over in my fingers. "If Draco closed his letters with wax, wouldn't Rowle have noticed the seal had been broken?" I looked at Ron.

"Well, mum had a spell that she used cause she'd always melt too much wax on her letters. Maybe McGonagall used something like that to seal it back?"

I nodded. "Wonder what McGonagall's going to do when she reads the letter Hermione's about to send. I mean obviously she'll know it's not from Draco if he's in the hospital."

Ron shrugged. "I guess we will have to tell her eventually. If Rowle knows how to help Malfoy, we'd need to tell her anyways."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." I looked at Draco's initials on the bottom of the stamp. "Ron.. Do you think Draco's going to be mad when he finds out we contacted Rowle?"

"I don't know mate. He's _your_ boyfriend." He shrugged, leaning back against the couch.

I sighed, putting the wax and seal in my rucksack and pulling out a my Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, reading ahead to the next chapter.

After an hour or so of reading, I put my book in my bag and turned to Ron.

"I'm going to the hospital wing. I'll be back later." He nodded, not opening his eyes.

* * *

The castle was dark at this time of night. My footsteps were echoing as I walked up the stairs in Hospital tower. I heard a faint voice, continuously talking. It sounded as if they were speaking to themselves. I paused on the stairs, listening. It didn't sound as if the voice were moving anywhere, so I continued walking.

The voice got louder as I approached the hospital doors. I stood with my hand on the door for a moment, recognizing the voice as Hermione's. I realized that she wasn't talking to herself, but she was reading. I slowly creaked the door open, peeking inside. Hermione was sitting next to Draco's bed, reading an incredibly large book. The door made a rather loud creak, causing Hermione to look up.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." I said, backing up.

"No, Harry! It's okay, I was just um... well we were reading this book before... before he got here. I figure I might as well read out loud to him. He might like it, if he can hear us at all." She said, fiddling with the page she was on.

"Well I can come back later, no problem." I began to close the door.

"Wait! Harry... will you stay? I don't have to read, I just thought it'd be nice." She said, her face turning pink.

I pushed the door open again, walking toward them and letting it shut behind me. "I think it's sweet that you are reading to him, I didn't even think about it." I kissed the top of her head. "Please, continue."

She blushed and smiled up at me, opening her book again and finding her place. I sat down on the bed next to Draco, pushing his hair off his face. His hair was as soft as ever. I could still smell his apple crisp cologne. Hermione's voice turned into a nice hum as she read, sort of like a lullaby. I could see Draco's eyes moving underneath his eyelids, and I wondered if he really could hear her.

* * *

The next day dragged on. Every day without Draco seemed like an eternity. I didn't receive a letter from professor McGonagall, which leads me to believe that she hadn't been checking owls since Draco was in the hospital.

Drarry the Mandrake was still growing, and Professor Sprout said I could wait until Draco was back to repot it.

Neville and Luna finally started dating. They walked around holding hands most of the time, and everyone was cooing over them, saying what a great couple they were. I mean, they really were. Neville looked at Luna as if the moon and all the stars had collided and formed a person, and I suppose that's how we all should look at the people we love. In all honesty, Neville needs someone as care free and kind as Luna. I couldn't think of anyone better for him.

I heard Neville in the common room saying that he and Luna had been to see his parents in St. Mungo's, and Luna had talked to them as if they were regular people instead of most people who don't really know what to do. Him talking about Luna made me miss Draco even more.

Ron was talking to Hermione about how Ginny had taken her boyfriend to the burrow to meet her mum and George turned his hair blue with one of his new sweets for the joke shop. Hermione shook her head and gave an unwilling smile.

"Nutter." She said, scribbling down another sentence to her essay. "I need to go to the library." She mentioned, snapping her book shut and rolling up her parchment.

"So do I. I was going to try and look up some healing potions in the restricted section to see if there's anything in there that Draco might not know about."

Hermione frowned. "How do you expect to get in there?"

I took out a piece of parchment from my pocket. "Nicked a permission form off Snape's desk." I smiled, looking down at it. "Since he's only a portrait he can't sign it, so It's pre-signed by McGonagall."

Hermione shook her head. "After 8 years you still haven't learned not to break the rules." She sighed, putting her book in her bag. "Come on then, I have work to do." She kissed Ron goodbye as we walked out.

* * *

After 4 books and 6 paper cuts, I gave up looking for a solution for Draco's mum. Anything I've found had to do with either killing someone, or killing yourself to heal someone else. I dropped my head down on _A Mediwizard's Guide to Illness_ and sighed loudly.

Hermione looked up at me. "No luck?" She said, eying the books I had gone through.

"Nope. I assume Draco has already looked through all these anyway." I sat up and closed the book, adding it to the pile. "I'm going to put these back and then head to the common room. See you there?"

I flicked my wand, making the books levitate and sort to their appropriate shelves.

Hermione looked down at her essay, which was now two scrolls long. "I should be done soon, but don't wait up."

I nodded, throwing my rucksack over my shoulder before I walked out.

Ron was still dozing on the couch when I walked into the common room. Dean and Seamus were playing a round of exploding snap in the corner, waving me over as I walked in.

"Hey Harry, how's it going?" Seamus asked, patting my arm as I sat down.

I shrugged. "Same as always. How 'bout you guys?"

"I'm good, thanks. Dean and I were thinking about going to Hogsmeade tomorrow if you wanted to come. You can bring Ron and Hermione too, if you want." Seamus said as he dealt me a hand of exploding snap.

"Thanks for the offer guys, but I really should stay in the castle. I'm kind of waiting to hear news about Draco." I felt my face heat up a little, feeling bad for partially lying. I really was waiting for Draco to wake up, but since we were going to track down Rowle, I knew that I didn't want to be seen in Hogsmeade that day incase anything drastic happened. I turned my attention to the cards in my hand.

Seamus nodded understandingly. "No worries, mate! We can always go another time. How's he been doing?" He asked, placing a card down in the middle.

"He's been getting better gradually. Should be recovered in a few days." I said, jumping slightly as a card exploded in Dean's hand.

"That's good to hear!" Seamus said, patting my arm roughly.

I nodded, laughing as the pile of cards in the middle of us exploded and shot cards everywhere.

After a few more rounds, Dean stretched. "I'm going to bed. I want to get up early for Hogsmeade." He stood pushing the pouf on which he was sitting aside. "Night, Harry." He leaned down and kissed Seamus. "Night, love. See you tomorrow."

"Night." Seamus said, smiling up at him. Seamus watched Dean walk across the room and up the stairs, continuing to stare after he was no longer visible.

After a few seconds of him watching, Dean poked his head back out of the stairway.

"Damn it!" He said, when he saw Seamus still looking at him. He and Seamus laughed. Dean shook his head and walked back up the stairs muttering something about Seamus being a know it all.

"What was that about?" I asked Seamus, watching to see if Dean appeared in the stairway again.

Seamus was still smiling, shaking his head. "Just bein' a loon." He chuckled as he dealt us another hand of cards.

* * *

The next day flew by with the anticipation of finding Rowle on the horizon. Ron, Hermione and I had planned on leaving the castle at around 7. I spent the entire day in the library, looking for anything that was a generic healing solution not involving the death or serious injury of someone. At around 5 o'clock I gave up, looking at the pile of books next to me which was now over 15 books high. Hermione had come to help a little, but gave up after the 5th book. I sighed and trudged to the great hall to grab some food before I went to see Draco.

After I was thoroughly full, I stood, beginning to leave.

"Hey, would it be alright if I stopped by later to see you and Draco? The book we are reading is getting fascinating." Hermione asked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you in a bit." I said as I turned and walked out of the great hall.

I walked into the hospital wing to find Pansy and Blaise standing near Draco's bed. Pansy was crying and leaning on Blaise. Not wanting to disturb them, I stepped back outside and leaned up against the wall, staring at the huge oak doors. I remembered when Hermione and I went back in time to save Sirius from the dementors. That seems like ages ago. I turned my head as I heard quickly approaching footsteps.

"Hiya, Harry." It was Luna and Neville.

"Hey Luna. Neville. What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to bring Draco some treats for when he wakes up, we got some things from honeydukes on our way back from Madam Puddifoot's." Luna said happily. Neville blushed slightly, looking down at his feet.

"That's really nice of you guys, thank you. Pansy and Blaise are in there right now, I didn't want to disturb them. I'll put them at the end of Draco's bed when I go in, yeah?"

Neville nodded, handing me a bag of sweets.

"See ya, Harry." Neville said, glancing at the hospital doors as they opened.

"See you." I turned to look at the doors, it was Blaise.

"Hey, Harry. Pansy wants to talk to you." He gestured me into the room.

He whispered. "Good luck." to me.

I looked back at him, but the doors closed before I could say anything.

I walked over to Draco's bed, where Pansy was sitting, wiping her eyes.

She sniffed and looked up at me as I walked over, setting the bag of sweets down on the table at the end of the bed.

"How are you, Pansy?" I asked, even though she was obviously upset. She was one of Draco's closest friends, I didn't want her to start hating me all over again.

She shrugged, reaching out to hold Draco's hand. "Better." She sniffed again, kind of stroking the back of Draco's hand with her thumb. "He really cares about you, you know. I haven't seen him this happy in quite a while." She looked down at him sadly. "He went through a really rough time with his family and everything, I was quite worried about him." She looked up at me. "Thank you. For helping him. Even though you probably didn't know that you did." She smiled at me a little, the action looking weird on her face. "Harry... I've um... Never really apologized for what I did... during the war?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know... In the great hall.. after you-know-who told us to bring you to him?" She said, playing with Draco's fingers and avoiding my eyes.

Suddenly I remembered. She had yelled out for people to grab me and take me into the forbidden forest to Voldemort.

"Oh.. Right." I said, trying not to sound too upset. I mean, she suggested that I be turned over to Voldemort for Merlin's sake, I didn't feel too bad about being angry.

"I didn't really... I didn't want you to be taken to him I just-... I just wanted the war to end." Her face was reddening as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean- I don't-" She erupted into tears, pressing her face into the mattress of Draco's bed.

"Uh.." I said stupidly, taken off guard by her sudden outburst. I walked around the bed toward her slowly, patting her shoulder. "That's okay, Pansy... No worries." I mean I willingly turned myself over to him, therefore ending the war, so I couldn't be that angry.

She suddenly stood up, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing rather hard. I patted her head awkwardly. Never in a million years did I think that I would hug Pansy Parkinson of all people. She was leaning all her weight on me, her sobs nearly knocking me over.

The door to the hospital wing opened, and I looked over desperately wanting help. Blaise and Hermione were at the door.

Pansy, seeming to hear the door open, let me go. "S-sorry Harry." She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

She looked up at me, her gaze was much softer than normal. She turned and kissed Draco's forehead, standing and watching him for a moment. She turned back to me, sniffing. She inhaled deeply.

"Sorry about that. I get a little emotional sometimes." She let out a shaky laugh. "But I really just wanted to thank you because I haven't seen Draco this happy in a long time."

She patted my arm, running her hand down the side of it. Suddenly she grabbed my wrist and twisted it painfully.

"Ow!" I said, trying to break free. I looked at her face, she looked menacing and angry. I tried to back away but the table was blocking me.

"If you hurt Draco, I will hunt you down and inflict an unbelievable amount of pain on you."

"Pansy! Wh-What are you talking about! Let me go!" She yanked her hand away as Hermione ran over.

She glared at me for a moment longer and then smiled, turning around. "See you later, Harry!" She called lightly.

My mouth dropped open as I rubbed my wrist. Hermione looked back at her as she walked out the door, and then turned to me, confused.

"I thought she was hurting you?" Hermione said.

"She was!" I replied, checking my wrist for bruising. "Mental!" I said, plopping down in the chair next to Draco's bed. "She apologized for trying to turn me over to Voldemort, cried in my arms, and then basically said she'd kill me if I hurt Draco! What's that about!" I said, looking at Hermione who started laughing.

"What!" I said, not finding amusement in this at all.

Hermione shook her head, biting her lip as she tried not to laugh. She looked at me again and burst into laughter. I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Alright, alright, I see your point." I said, smiling at her.

She flicked her wand, producing another chair to sit down in, grabbing a book on the bedside table that I hadn't noticed before.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked, gesturing to the book.

I shook my head. "Of course, go ahead." She smiled, opening her book to where the bookmark was sticking out.

As she read, I held Draco's hand, rubbing my thumb against the back of it. His face seemed less flushed than before, and he wasn't shaking anymore. I took these as good signs. I leaned my head back against the chair, closing my eyes as I listened to Hermione's voice.

* * *

"Harry, wake up, Ron is probably waiting on us."

I lifted my head suddenly, groaning when I felt the crick in my neck caused by leaning back on the chair. Hermione had her hand on my arm, rousing me from my sleep.

I looked over at Draco, pushing his soft hair back and kissing his forehead. I stroked his hair for a second. "I'll be back tomorrow." Squeezing his hand, I turned to walk back up to the common room with Hermione.

Ron was waiting for us when we got there, handing me my invisibility cloak and wrapping a rather raggedy looking coat over himself.

"It's Bill's old coat from when he was in Antarctica looking for Dragons. Thought it might make me look more like I fit in down there." He shrugged, tugging at the coat.

I nodded, putting my invisibility cloak into my jacket. We walked out of the common room and into the cool September breeze.

* * *

Hogshead was virtually empty. There were a few wizards huddled into the dark corners, and a familiar witch at the bar who looked like she hadn't moved from that spot in about a decade. I had thrown my invisibility cloak over myself before entering as to not receive unnecessary attention. The time was 7:50, so we had 10 minutes until Rowle showed up.

The plan was to find Rowle and wait until he left. I'd follow him in my invisibility cloak until we found where he was hiding, and then confront him about the kind of magic he was teaching Draco. We walked over to a booth in the corner, I sat down next to Ron to face the rest of the room, and Hermione sat across from us. Ron had ordered butterbeers and they were sipping them silently as we waited for Rowle to appear.

At exactly 8 o'clock a heavily hooded figure bursted through the door. He made a sweep of the place, barely showing his face from underneath the cloak. It was Rowle. When he didn't see Draco, he grunted 'fire whisky' to the bar keep, who slammed a cup down on the bar in front of him. Rowle took a long swig, nearly emptying the glass. He looked down at his watch again, taking another swig from his glass.

"Another." He grunted. The barkeep slammed another glass onto the bar, which Rowle drank just as quickly.

"Doesn't look like he'll be able to put up much of a fight." Ron mumbled, watching as Rowle asked for a third drink.

"Fowl." Hermione whispered, looking away from him in disgust.

After 2 more firewhiskeys and 30 minutes, Rowle finally gave up on waiting for Draco. He tossed a galleon onto the bar.

"Later, Dumbledore."

Hermione gasped, turning around. We all leaned over the booth, looking behind the bar to see Aberforth Dumbledore cleaning glasses.

Ron put his hand up to cover his face. "Bloody hell. I didn't even see him! What do we do!"

Hermione looked down into her glass. "Ron, when you ordered these, he must've seen you. Why didn't he say anything?"

Ron shook his head. "He didn't turn around when he gave them to me, just flicked his wand and they showed up on the bar."

Hermione set her cup down and took down her hair. "Ron is there a hood on that thing?"

He nodded, pulling it up. Hermione pushed her hair in front of her face. "Harry, when he turns away, nudge us and we will leave."

I stood and watched Aberforth Dumbledore putter around behind the bar. A wizard asked for some drink I'd never head of and Aberforth disappeared behind a swinging door.

I poked Ron, who stood and practically ran to the door with Hermione's hand in his. They had just made it out when Aberforth came back. He had a black vial in his hand and I swear he looked right into my eyes. If I didn't feel the invisibility cloak touching my nose I'd think he could see me. I remembered the time Dumbledore had looked right at us in Hagrid's hut the day his title as headmaster was temporarily revoked. I hoped that Aberforth was not as skilled of a wizard as his brother, and walked out hastily as the door was closing.

Hermione and Ron were panting outside, even though they hadn't really run too far.

"That was a close one!" Ron exclaimed, tugging the hood off his head.

Hermione quickly tied her hair back, looking around for Rowle.

"There!" She said, pointing as Rowle's blonde head disappeared into an alley. "Go, Harry!"

I took off, straight toward the alley. I heard them walking behind me quickly. I turned into the alley just in time to see Rowle climb the stairs into the street. I followed closely behind him as he walked, keeping his head down only to look up briefly and check his location. I glanced behind me to see Ron and Hermione turn in my direction. As I turned to look back at Rowle, I nearly collided with him. He had stopped in the street and was now looking directly at me- through me- at Ron and Hermione. He was about 3 inches away from my face. The muscles in his neck were tensing. His blue eyes were shifting back and forth between Ron and Hermione looking afraid. The side of his pale face was scarred, as if someone had cut it with a knife. His blonde hair and beard had grown out since he had tried to attack us in the cafe on tottenham court road. He looked thinner, and surprisingly older.

He turned around with a grunt, walking faster and making a sharp turn into a dark alley. He turned three more corners, hiding in the doorway of a broken down shop. He stood there unmoving, facing the door. I was standing to the right of the doorway, not wanting to get too close to him. I saw Ron and Hermione walking down the alley toward us, and I knew that this is what he was waiting for. He reached for his wand inside his robes. If we were going to do this, it had to be right now. I yanked off my cloak, causing Ron and Hermione to stop walking.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled, grabbing his wand from mid air. He turned around, confused.

Upon seeing me right behind him, he jumped backwards, slamming up against the door. "H-Harry Potter!" He exclaimed.

"That's me." I said, pointing my wand at him. "Where have you been hiding?"

He pointed a shaky hand down the alley to an old apothecary shop.

"Well, go on then." I gestured for him to walk in front of me.

He stepped forward shakily, stumbling to the door and putting his key in the lock. He creaked the door open, it was cold and dark inside. It smelled musty, like there hadn't had clean air in the room for years. Ron and Hermione were now behind me.

"Lumos." Hermione muttered, as her want lit up. The place was empty. Cobwebs everywhere. Rowle crossed the room, yanking down on a coat hook, revealing an underground tunnel. I looked back at Hermione to see if she thought it was a good idea to go with him. She shrugged, stepping forward as Rowle climbed down into the tunnel.

* * *

"Thorfinn? Is that you dear? I've just finished supper, but it might be a bit co-" A middle aged witch that I didn't recognize appeared in the doorway in front of us. "Oh hello there! Are you a few of Draco's friends?" She stepped forward, taking my cloak from my hands. "I think there's enough supper for the rest of you if you wanted to stay! Thorfinn why didn't you tell me there were people coming over!" She asked, kissing him on the cheek.

Hermione, Ron and I looked at each other in disbelief. I didn't know whether to attack Rowle or give him his wand back.

"What's going on here?" I asked Rowle, pointing my wand at him.

"I- erm- I live 'ere! That's me wife, Rintriata." Rowle said, ringing his hands and watching his wife disappear through the doorway.

"What do you mean you live here?" Ron said. "Why have you been meeting Malfoy at Hogshead. What are you telling Malfoy to do to his mum?"

Rowle stared at us, shocked. "Whaddya mean 'bout Malfoy's mum?" He looked genuinely confused.

Thorfinn's wife walked in again and looked at us. "Well what are you lot waiting for, I have a table of food in here waiting to be eaten!"

I stared at her, Rowle started walking toward the doorway and I grabbed his arm. Hermione jabbed me in the ribs, I looked back at her and she raised her eyebrows at me, squeezing my arm to make me let go. I released Rowle's arm, letting him walk into the room.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Ron and Hermione.

Ron shrugged. "Haven't the faintest."

Hermione was looking thoughtfully into the room where Rowle pecked his wife on the cheek. "Maybe... He's not a bad guy anymore?" She said.

I stared at her open mouthed. "He nearly killed us in that cafe! He set Hagrid's house on fire! He tortured me, for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione pressed her lips together, thinking. "Well, we could leave now and not find out, or we could stay for a seemingly harmless dinner and ask about Draco."

I gaped at her. "You can't be serious." She shrugged and walked into the room with Rowle and his wife. I looked at Ron, my mouth hanging open. He shrugged and followed Hermione. "You can't be serious!" I said again, standing there with my mouth open. I saw them sit down at the table and shake hands with Rintriata.

I shoved my wand into my pocket forcefully, marching into the room. It was a warm room with a fireplace in the corner. The dining table looked like solid oak, and it had enough room for 6 people to sit comfortably. There was a black iron chandelier with candles lit and floating around above it. The walls were a deep red with golden leaves twirling about, glinting against the firelight.

On the dining table there was a large supper consisting of peas, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits and sliced ham. Rintriata was pouring pumpkin juice for all of us, asking about school. She was a pretty woman, beautiful long black hair with grey streaks. Her blue eyes sparkled and nearly disappeared when she laughed or smiled. Her face was slender, but she was quite round. She shuffled around and grabbed my arm, leading me to a chair.

"Now, now dear, have a seat. I don't want your food getting cold." She said, studying me as she sat down in the end seat near me. "Well I'll say... you're Harry Potter, aren't ya?" She smiled, patting my arm. "Never thought I'd meet you." Her eyes studied my face for a moment, then she quickly plopped a spoonful of peas onto my plate. "Hope you're hungry, dear." She smiled at me, putting heaps of all the food in front of me.

I looked across the table at Hermione and Ron who were thoroughly enjoying their meal. Had they completely forgotten the reason as to why we were here in the first place? I cleared my throat loudly and Hermione looked at me.

I gave her a look and she straightened up. "So, Mr. Rowle," As she said this she glanced at me, her cheeks going red. 'Mr. Rowle?' What? "you've been talking to Draco Malfoy, correct?" Rowle nodded, stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes and swallowing.

"Yeah he's a good lad. Say, did you send me tha' letter earlier?" He asked, taking a bite of ham and looking at Hermione.

"Yes, sir." She said, poking her peas with her fork shamefully.

"Aye tha's alright," he said, nudging her. "no harm done!" He smiled at her, taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

She looked at me across the table and shook her head slightly, clearly not wanting to ask him anymore. I looked at Ron for help, but he was too busy eating to do much else.

"Sir, excuse my asking, but what did you and Draco talk about, exactly?" I asked, trying not to sound too pushy.

He shrugged, swallowing another mouthful of food. "This n' tha'." He said, looking at me innocently. "Why'r ya askin?"

"Well.. Draco's fallen ill, you see. Apparently it's because of some magic that he's been doing recently, and well.. we know that he was talking to you about magic to use on his mum." I remembered that Draco had told him that McGonagall knew about the letters. "Also, the headmistress of Hogwarts is under the impression that you and Draco are going to attempt to break Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban." At this he choked on the food he had in his mouth.

"WHA?" He said, eyes tearing up from coughing. He took a long drink of pumpkin juice. "Tha's ridiculous. I'd never. Lucius Malfoy can rot in Azkaban until he dies fer all I care." He began to cut off another piece of ham violently. "And this magic for Draco's mum, its to help her. She's real sick, needs somethin' to make her better, but mediwizards and witches don' know wha's wrong." He took a bite of ham, barely chewing it before he swallowed. "I warned Malfoy tha' it can have some bad side effects if used it too much, but he said that he didn' care. Jus' wanted his mum better's all."

I looked across at Hermione who looked sad, she was holding her necklace again. Ron had finally stopped eating for long enough to listen to what Rowle had to say.

"Blimey. McGonagall's got it all wrong." He looked at me, smirking. "At least we can tell her what's really going on so she'll stop pestering you about it all."

I nodded, turning back to Rowle. "Well can you tell us what sort of magic Draco's been doing? Is there something we can do to speed up the healing process?"

"He being cared for by that witch in the hospital ward at Hogwarts? Pomey? Pormfey?"

"Pomfrey, and yes." I corrected.

He shrugged and shook his head. "He's alrig' it'll take some time but there's nothin' I can do to help ya. Jus' needs some restin' time." He lifted his fork to take another bite, but then paused, looking at me again. "Ya know, now tha' I think 'bout it, you lot should bring Malfoy's mum in to be looked at by Pomfrey. She's a bleedin' good mediwitch." He ate his bite of food, raising his eyebrows at me expectantly.

I nodded, looking down at my food, knowing Draco's mum would never do such a thing. Hermione spoke again. "Will Draco be able to use the spell to help his mum? Or will he be too poorly effected if he tries again?" She looked worried, still flipping her necklace over in her fingers.

Rowle shook his head. "I'm 'fraid if he's been effected this bad, he prolly won' be able to use the spell on his mum unless he wants to have permenan' side effects." He looked up at us, chewing. "It's not dark magic, this, it just takes a toll on the body, yeah? Difficult magic, tha's all." He looked around innocently.

"We understand. Thank you, sir." Hermione said, squishing a pea between the prongs of her fork.

"If you don't mind my asking... How did you and Draco start talking again?" I asked. I had thought about this on the walk here. If Draco's dad was in Azkaban and Rowle had been in hiding, how did Draco find him? And for what reason?

"Well." He swallowed his food, putting down his fork and knife, ruffling his brow. "Musta been in 'bout July, righ' when we moved here. I hear somebody knockin' on the door upstairs. I'm thinkin' they'll just go away after nobody shows up, but they kep' knockin for 'bout 5 straight minutes. I wen' up there and peeked out the crack in the door, seein' Malfoy standin' on the stoop. He musta seen my lamplight 'cause he said my name and asked me to let em' in. O' course I didn', but he stood there and waited. 'Bout an hour later I came back up and he was sittin' down on the step." He gestured as if he were looking at Draco sitting down. "I decided that if he wanted to do anythin' bad he woulda done it already, so I let him in. He came here to make amends and apologize for torturing me 'n everything, even though I knew it was Voldemort that forced him to do it. Rintriata invited him fer dinner and he stayed 'ere a few days." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Now, I didn' hear 'bout his mum until end o' August. Saw him walkin' 'round Mulpepper's apothecary in Knockturn Alley. Dangerous place, tha'." He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of a bad memory.

"So he wasn't looking for things in Borgin and Burke? All he wanted was something to help his mum?" Hermione asked, sounding tearful.

Rowle nodded. "Yeah, he's really turned 'imself around, hadn't he. I think that's also 'cause of you, Harry." He looked at me. "You've really influenced 'em." I blushed, the thought of Draco Malfoy talking about his relationship with me to Thorfinn Rowle seemed ridiculous.

Their clock chimed 10, and Ron and Hermione looked at me. "Harry, we need to get back up to the castle and tell Professor McGonagall about this. She needs to know that Draco isn't doing anything bad." Hermione said.

"What are we supposed to tell her? That we just had dinner with Thorfinn Rowle and his wife, and they said that Draco is a perfectly good boy now? No offense, sir, ma'am, this is delicious." I said, hastily adding that last part because I realized I was still in the room with them.

Hermione chewed the inside of her lip, thinking.

Ron cleared his throat and spoke. "Sir... do you think that... you could come to Hogwarts with us?"

Rowle burst into laughter, holding his stomach. Ron's ears went pink. Rowle nearly tipped back in his chair from laughing.

Finally after a good minute of laughter, Rowle wiped his eyes and sniffed. "Ahh... No. I can' do that fer ya. You forget tha' I'm in hidin'. I don' know if I'll be sent away if I'm found, but I'm not willin' to take tha' chance."

Ron nodded, looking down at his plate.

"We will think of something on the way back up to the castle. I'm sorry we have to leave so soon, dinner was lovely." Hermione said, standing up and grabbing her jacket off the coat hook. I stood and grabbed my cloak, handing Ron his jacket.

Rintriata stood up. "Aw, dears, do stay warm, now! Come back with Draco sometime, we'd love to see you!" She shouted as we walked back up the corridor into the cold, musty shop.

Rowle opened the door for us.

"Sorry 'bout the whole.. attacking ya 'n everything... Hope Malfoy gets ter feelin' better soon. Tell em' to send me a letter when he's up to it." He smiled, nodding curtly at us and closing the door.

"Bloody hell, that was unexpected." Ron said, laughing breathily as he looked at us.

Hermione grabbed her necklace, twisting it around.

I tossed on my cloak. "So now we know what's really going on. One thing I still don't understand is how Draco practiced those spells on first years if they're for illnesses?" I questioned.

Ron shrugged. "Maybe he made em' sick first. Ya know, puking pasties or a jinx. I'm sure there's something."

I nodded, and Hermione said. "We should get up to the castle, it's getting late."

I put on my invisibility cloak as we walked down the alley back up town. Hermione leaned against Ron who automatically wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. We walked the rest of the way up to the castle in silence.

* * *

I laid down on Draco's side of the bed, pressing my face into his pillow. His fresh, sweet scent washed over me, immediately calming me down. I thought about dinner with Rowle and how different everything was from what we had thought. I knew that Draco couldn't have been doing anything bad.

I wondered what Draco had talked to Rowle about. He had only mentioned me in the letters to say that I was coming with him to see his dad. I remembered that we were supposed to see Draco's mum this weekend. What kind of illness could she possibly have that magic can't fix? I thought magic could fix practically everything besides death. But she's not.. dying? Is she?

I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. Why hadn't Draco told me? I could have helped him. I exhaled into his pillow, wishing he was here. I decided that I'd go see him before Herbology tomorrow morning. Burying my face in his pillow, I closed my eyes, relieved that I finally knew what was happening.


	8. The Icing on the Cat Cake

This week dragged on slower than ever. Draco only opened his eyes once when I was there, and he closed them back again before I could even say anything. Madam Pomfrey predicted that he should be back to his normal self by the 2nd of October, which was two days away from now.

I trudged to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Ron, wishing the day would speed up so I could go see Draco. As soon as I walked into the classroom I froze. I was enveloped in Draco's sweet cologne, it smelled fresh like crisp apples and melon. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I felt like I was drinking a cold glass of pumpkin juice after an exceptionally long Quidditch match. God, I could stand there forever.

I opened my eyes as I exhaled, looking at Ron, who was observing the room, confused.

"Is Hermione in here?" He was looking around for her as I was looking around for Draco.

"I don't see her, but it smells exactly like Draco's cologne." I closed my eyes and inhaled again. Damn he smelt good.

I opened my eyes again, Ron was smiling at me with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" I asked.

"You're smelling Draco and I'm smelling Hermione's shampoo, but neither of them are in here. What do you think?" He said, pointing to Snape's desk.

I immediately turned scarlet. On his desk was a familiar silvery potion; Amortentia. I cleared my throat, ignoring Ron's gaze and sitting down in our desk. He sat next to me, still stupidly smiling at me with his head rested on his fist, causing me to blush even more.

"Shut up, Ron." I pushed his arm over and his head nearly dropped on the desk, causing him to laugh. I laughed along with him, trying to pay attention to Snape's drawling voice, but I couldn't concentrate due to the smell of the Amortentia.

For once, it was difficult for me to leave that class. I knew that I wouldn't be able to see Draco until later that night due to the essay due tomorrow for Snape and a foot of parchment for Professor Sprout about how to take care of your teenage Mandrake. I inhaled deeply right before I stepped out of Snape's classroom, holding my breath as long as possible, not wanting to let him go.

Ron and I walked up to the common room after lunch. Hermione had left the great hall saying she needed to pick up a special tea from Hogsmeade for her parent's anniversary.

After the second war Hermione had gone back to her home, scaring Mr. and Mrs. Granger by telling her that she was their daughter. Apparently they had locked her out and wouldn't answer the door for days. It was rough on Hermione, but they eventually let her explain. They mentioned that they had gotten letters inquiring about her going to school, but they just thought it was a wrong address. Since Hermione only used a weak memory modification charm, they were able to regain their memory of her after a few days of talking.

Ron and I finished our homework at around 9. He rolled over on the couch, saying he was going to wait up for Hermione, who had not yet returned. I nodded and headed for the hospital wing, which is basically where I spent all my free time now.

* * *

To my surprise, Ginny Weasley was walking out as I approached the door. When she saw me she immediately blushed.

"Oh hey Harry. How are you?" She asked, playing with the ends of her hair.

"I'm good, thanks. What are you doing here?" I inquired, trying not to sound rude.

She shrugged. "Well a few days before he was put here, he apologized to me for being a little git when I explained what happened between you and me," as she said this her blush deepened, "and, well I didn't exactly accept his apology." She looked down at her hands. "In fact, I sort of tried to jinx him. Sorry, Harry." She glanced up at me quickly.

I laughed, she hadn't changed a bit. "That's okay, Gin." I said, shaking my head.

She seemed to relax a little. "I just wanted to drop by and apologize, even though he didn't wake up."

"Well, thanks for coming by. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. He should be all better soon, I hope. Try not to jinx him for the first couple of days, would you?" I asked, smiling.

She shook her head. "No promises." She smiled widely, kissing my cheek. "I'll see you later, Harry."

She walked away leaving the faint scent of flowers in her trail. I watched her descend the staircase, glad that we were proper friends again. I knew that all of us were planning on going to the burrow for Mrs. Weasley's birthday, and I hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. I wanted to invite Draco, but with all the turmoil that Mr. Weasley and his father had, it might not be the best idea.

I walked into the hospital wing, which was empty except for Draco. I sat down on the edge of the bed, taking his soft hand in mine. It was back to its usual cool temperature, and it felt nice on my skin. I had rough, callused hands from all the chores I grew up doing. Playing Quidditch non-stop also contributed to this. I flipped Draco's hand over in mine, studying it. Not a single scar or discoloration. I smirked, of course not. I shook my head, looking up at his pale, angular face. The moonlight was pouring in through the window above his bed, his hair was now slightly more wavy than usual. Its regular sleekness was absent, causing a long curl to rest on his forehead. I ran my fingers through his soft hair, brushing my thumb up against his cheek, which was now sprinkled by short blonde hairs. I rubbed my face, remembering that I shaved this morning. For once my face was smoother than his.

I leaned down and kissed his forehead gently, closing my eyes as I inhaled. I pushed my fingers through his hair again, resting my forehead on his.

"I love you." I said. "Damn it, I do."

Suddenly a cool hand wrapped around the back of my neck. My eyes shot open and I leaned back slightly. I saw Draco's grey eyes looking back at me sleepily.

"Harry." He said, smiling faintly.

Before I could even think about replying, his eyes closed again, and his hand dropped down on the bed next to him.

My stomach was in knots. Had he heard what I had said to him? Would he remember?

I smoothed back his hair once more before I got up, looking at him under the moonlight for a long time before I closed the door.

* * *

Ron and I played a game of find the snitch after Lunch the next day. It felt so nice to have the wind whipping my hair around and filling my lungs. There's something about being on a broom that seems to make all my problems melt away. All I could think about is where that small golden ball is and how to catch it. We played until the sun was going down, arguing over who caught it the most on the way up to the Common room.

Upon entering the room, Ron and I stopped in our tracks. The color of the walls were switching quickly between red and green, forming a violent Christmas theme. Ron and I walked over to Hermione, trying not to look at the walls. She was surrounded in a fort of pillows, leaving the only open part above and behind her.

Ron sat down and took out the pillow in front of her, causing the other two to flop down onto her arms. "What's all this rubbish about?" He asked her.

"I don't know. Neville's gone and told McGonagall about it, she'll come and fix it soon I expect. As for now, I must finish reading this book, It's wonderful!" She pulled up her fort again, only to knock it down a moment later. "Harry, have you been to see Draco yet, he should be waking up any day now, yeah?"

I nodded, "I think I'm going to go see him tomorrow, I'm exhausted from all this Quidditch."

"Which I won, by the way." Ron said smugly. I picked up one of Hermione's fort pillows and whacked him in the face with it, smiling.

He laughed and picked up another one to hit me back with, but the common room door burst open.

"Potter, Mr. Malfoy is awake." McGonagall said to me as she flicked her wand to make the walls stop flashing.

I stood up so quickly that I had to sit down a second later. "Wh-what? Awake? Now? When did he wake up?" I asked, trying to make my head stop spinning.

McGonagall nodded, "Yes, awake, now. I'd assume you want to see him?" She asked, obviously confused as to why I was still sitting.

I stood up, wobbling, and walked out the door with her, she had a surprisingly quick pace for someone as aged as she was. We made it to the hospital wing faster than ever, I could swear we apparated.

I flung the doors open to see Draco in the action of standing up, firmly grasping Madam Pomfrey's hand to gain leverage. My face grew hot, and I could feel a lump form in my throat again. As Draco straightened into standing form, he turned around to face the door, his blonde hair wavy and slightly disheveled. His grey eyes wrinkled up as he smiled at me, letting go of Madam Pomfrey's hand and outstretching his arms to me, taking a step forward. I nearly ran to him, enveloping him into my arms and burying my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his fresh smell. In that moment nothing else mattered.

"Afternoon, Potter. Having a good day?" He said, his voice low and rough.

All I could do was nod, the lump in my throat swallowing my words. I hugged him for what seemed like hours. He gave my shoulders a small squeeze, kissing my forehead as he let me go. He sat down on the bed, holding my right hand. I pushed some of his wavy hair out of his face.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, trying to make my voice steady. I searched his face for any kind of pain, but his eyes just crinkled even more as he smiled up at me.

"I'm splendid." He said, reaching a cool hand around the back of my neck. He kissed me softly. A long kiss at first and then a small peck as he pulled away. I nearly leaned in for another kiss but McGonagall cleared her throat. I jumped and leaned back quickly, I had forgotten that her and Madam Pomfrey were even in the room. I blushed and cleared my throat. Awkward.

"I'm glad to see that you are well, Mr. Malfoy, you gave us quite a fright." She smiled, looking over her glasses at him.

"Thank you, professor." He said, his hand stiffening a little in mine. I remembered that the last time they spoke was when McGonagall asked if he was using Dark Magic. My stomach dropped as I realized she still didn't know the true reason behind him writing to Rowle, or what he was doing with the spells he learned from him. I didn't want Draco to spend his first day awake being questioned by McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, could I talk to you outside for a second?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Of course, Potter." She turned and walked to the door.

"Be right back. Don't go anywhere." I smiled at Draco as he rolled his eyes, kissing his forehead and closing the doors behind me as I went out to talk to McGonagall.

* * *

"Professor.. I um.." I looked up at her stern face, not knowing what to say. "I.. found Thorfinn Rowle." She didn't reply, but she raised her eyebrows. "I found him and spoke to him a few days ago and he said that Draco needed those spells to help his mum and he wasn't doing anything bad and Rowle is a really good guy now he has a pretty wife and he's not a death eater anymore and he's not trying to breakLuciusMalfoyoutofprision." I took a deep breath, as she raised her hand, closing her eyes.

"I know, Potter." She said.

"W-what? You know?" I asked, astonished.

"Well, I knew that you had gone to see him, not that you found him, or that you inquired about Mr. Malfoy." She said, folding her hands in front of her and looking down her nose at me.

"Right.. Well.. Draco isn't doing anything wrong, he was just using spells that were too advanced and it drained him, that's all. Professor, Rowle's not a bad guy anymore, he was just trying to help." I said, desperately.

"Help with what, exactly?" Asked McGonagall, showing no emotion on her face.

"Um.." I said, not knowing if I should tell her about Draco's mum, but what choice did I have? "Draco's mum is ill, and he was trying to find a spell to help her. That's why Rowle contacted him."

"And why does Mr. Rowle care about the health of Mrs. Malfoy?"

"I'm not sure." I said, honestly. "Because he cares about Draco?" I added questioningly. I assume he does, as Draco seemed to frequent their house.

"I see. And what sort of magic was Mr. Rowle showing Mr. Malfoy?"

I shook my head, honestly not knowing. "I don't know, he didn't give details, but he said it wasn't anything dark. Just powerful."

"How do you know he was not lying?" She asked, eyebrows inching higher up her forehead.

"Um.. well.." I said stupidly. I guess he could have been lying, after all. I haven't known many death eaters to completely change their way.

"I will ask Mr. Malfoy about his recent adventures at a later date. As for now, I'd assume he wants to go back to his dormitory. I will alert Professors Snape and Sprout of Mr. Malfoy's recent awakening. I trust that you will assist him on completing his missing work?" She smiled down at me as if she had just made a joke.

"Of course, Professor." I replied, laughing a little at the joke I apparently did not catch.

She nodded and pushed the door open again, Draco was staring at the door and his eyes crinkled into a smile as soon as he saw me. I don't think I'll ever get tired of his smile. He had changed into the clothes that Ron had brought him a while ago. He tightened his tie to the base of his neck as I walked over to him.

Madam Pomfrey was reading something off of her wand again, tutting. "Well, Malfoy, it looks like you're ready to go. Or did you want to stay in here another night?" she said, looking at him and tucking her wand away.

"I'm ready to go." Draco said to her, then looked at me and squeezed my hand gently.

He stood up, flicking his wand so that the bed to make itself. Madam Pomfrey smiled slightly and glanced at McGonagall who looked back at her smirking. Draco flicked his wand again, causing all of his treats to form a neat pile on the table at the end of the bed, Hermione's book underneath everything. I let his hand go, picking everything up. He reached over and touched Madam Pomfrey's arm gently, "Thank you for everything, Madam Pomfrey." Madam Pomfrey's hand leapt to her heart as if he had just offered to marry her. I assumed that he had never thanked her for her help before. He nodded curtly to McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall." Then he turned on his heel and walked out the door.

As I was leaving, McGonagall spoke. "I see what you mean, Mr. Potter. He is quite different."

I smiled at her as I closed the door, watching as they looked at each other to talk. I turned around to see Draco leaning against the staircase railing with his hands tucked lazily into his pockets. His wavy hair curling around his ears and onto his forehead. I walked over to him, propping his stuff onto my hip and taking his hand in mine.

We had to pause on the stairs multiple times on the way to the common room, stopping and sitting in the windows of the staircase. When Draco took a breath it sounded like his lungs were full of water.

"Do you need to go back to Madam Pomfrey?" I asked, as Draco sat down again, clutching his chest.

He shook his head, causing a blonde curl to hang in front of his face. "I'm fine, Potter. Just give me a second."

I sat down next to him, listening as his breathing regulated.

He took a few deep breaths, putting his hand on my knee. "Alright. Help me up, would you."

I stood up and he reached his hand out to grab mine, pulling himself up. He clutched the rail for a moment, seemingly dizzy.

He took another deep breath, looking up at the rest of the stairs. "Alright." He stood there for a moment, looking at the stairs. I put my hand on top of his on the rail and he looked down at me. He flipped his cool hand over, holding mine. I smiled and squeezed his hand. He seemed to relax a little, turning back to the stairs and beginning to climb. I took every step with him. He didn't stop again.

When we got into the common room he collapsed on one of the poufs, letting his head fall backward. I pulled a pouf up next to him, watching his chest rise and fall.

"Draco!" Pansy squealed, running over, getting down on her knees, and throwing her arms around his neck. He looked like he might pass out.

"Hey Pans." He laughed, and then started coughing.

She recoiled guiltily. "Sorry." She said, blushing.

He gave her a little smile. "No worries. How've you been?"

She shrugged. "Better now, I suppose." She kissed his cheek as she got up, "It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back, Pans." He smiled at her and she turned around, returning to Blaise's side. He looked around the room. "You haven't seen Granger today, have you? I never got the chance to ask how she liked her present."

I informed him that I had seen her earlier, and we asked Millicent if she was in their room but Millicent said that she had left shortly after I had. I frowned, where could she have gone?

I found Ron laying in his usual place by the fire.

"Hey, where did Hermione go?" I asked Ron.

He shrugged, "Dunno, just said she needed to go do something. Why?"

"Never mind. I'll see her tomorrow." I said, turning around to see Draco standing up.

"I'm going to head to bed. You coming up?" He asked, rolling up his sleeves mindlessly.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted." I headed for the steps. After I had walked up a few stairs and didn't hear Draco behind me, I turned around just in time to see Draco put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Thanks for the clothes, Weasley." Draco said, giving him an awkward smile.

Ron swallowed, "Erm yeah, n-no problem Malfoy." He smirked strangely.

Draco patted his arm and walked toward the stairs, stopping at the bottom of them and sighing. He looked up and saw me standing, I outstretched my hand and wiggled my fingers a little, gesturing for him to come and hold it.

He gave me a resigned smile, grabbing the handrail and pulling himself up the stairs toward my hand, grasping it firmly as we continued to our room.

* * *

As soon as we walked in Draco flopped facedown across the bed, his long arms outstretched.

"Ahhh." he said as he exhaled.

I walked around to my side of the bed, watching the moonlight illuminate his handsome features. His hair so disheveled that it looked almost like my own. I changed into my pajamas and then laid down on my side of the bed. He turned his head and looked up at me, sitting up on his elbows to scoot toward me. He turned over onto his back, putting his head in my lap and taking a deep breath. I played with his wavy hair, running my fingers along his smooth forehead, down to his rough cheeks. His stubbly blonde beard made his cheekbones even more angular.

I pushed his hair back and kissed his forehead, glad to have him in my arms once more. His eyes crinkled into a smile before he opened them to look at me.

"Hey." He said, on the verge of laughter.

"Hey." I said, and both of us laughed. I'm not sure what was so funny, maybe the fact that everything was back to normal so suddenly, or just because we needed something to laugh about, but it felt nice.

He closed his eyes again, smile still lingering on his face. I watched it fade as he fell asleep, stroking his hair all the while, not wanting to look away.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning I was instantly still, realizing the position we were in.

I was laying on my back, my left arm wrapped around Draco's torso and my right hand tucked into his hair. He was laying with the entire top half of his body on top of me, his legs sprawled out on the right side of his bed and his left arm hanging off of my side. The left side of his chest pressed against mine and his face was buried in the crook of my neck. His cool right hand was tucked underneath my neck, clashing with his warm breath. I didn't dare move, and I nearly stopped breathing, not wanting to wake him. I looked out the window, watching the clouds roll by, the sun casting bright rays at the bottom of our bed, creeping their way slowly towards Draco.

As soon as the sun rays touched his leg, he inhaled deeply, as if it had disturbed his slumber. He snuggled his face deeper in to the crook of my neck, his scratchy face rubbing against my collar bone. I held my breath, hoping that he'd fall back asleep if I stayed still long enough.

To my annoyance, I felt his eyelashes flutter open against my neck. I stroked his hair gently, pulling him closer to me with the arm I had wrapped around his torso. He pushed the hand that was around the back of my neck up into my hair as he tilted his head back to look up at me. He kissed my jaw, right underneath my ear.

"Good morning." He said, his voice low and gravely as ever.

"Good morning." I replied, smiling at the sound of his voice. It was so much nicer to wake up to him rather than an empty room. I made a mental note to thank Madam Pomfrey for taking care of him.

Draco propped himself up on the arm that was previously hanging off the bed, causing my hand to slide out of his hair and onto my own chest.

"Sleep well?" He asked, pushing my hair off of my forehead like I so frequently do to him. His grey eyes studied my face, as if checking for wounds.

I smiled, "Yes, very well. What about yourself?"

He frowned a little. "Well it seems that I had a very comfortable pillow, so yes. I slept quite well." His eyes crinkled a little as he gave me a small smile, kissing my forehead.

He glanced over at the bureau, looking at my watch.

"Oh bloody hell we're going to be late." He said, pushing himself off of my side of the bed and flicking his wand to fetch the clothes he needed.

He tossed off his clothes from yesterday, swishing his wand to make his new clothes button, tie, and straighten. He looked at me as he fixed his tie. "Skipping class today, Potter?" He said, smirking.

I realized that I hadn't moved as I watched him get ready. I blushed slightly. "No, just er.. stretching."

"Mhmm" he said as he flicked his wand, causing a red sweater and some jeans of mine to fly out of my trunk and land on the bed next to me. With a snap of his fingers he unbuttoned all the buttons on my pajama shirt, and it started trying to pull itself off of me.

I lifted my arms and it slid off, folding itself next to my feet. "How do you do that?" I asked, looking back at him as I pulled on my sweater.

"It's a secret." He said, winking at me as he snapped again, tying his fancy black shoes.

I rolled my eyes at how unfailingly posh he was as I pulled on my sneakers, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

Draco rubbed his face. "I need to shave, I'll meet you at Snape's class." He said as he kissed me and walked out toward the lavatory.

* * *

I made it to Snape's class with 5 minutes to spare, taken aback by the strong smell of Draco's cologne as I walked in. I had forgotten that we were working on spell defenses for different potions. I sat down next to Ron who looked at me with a grin.

"Didn't see you at breakfast this morning." He said, smile growing wider.

"Uh.. yeah. We woke up late." I replied, confused as to why he was smiling.

"Late night, huh?" He said, nudging my arm. I blushed furiously. Did Ron actually just say that? I didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified.

As I opened my mouth to reply, Draco walked in, pausing in the doorway looking confused. He walked over to our table, and a fresh waft of his scent washed over me. God, I don't think I'll ever be able to stay calm when I'm around him.

"Did you shave?" He asked, looking confused.

I shook my head. "I did about a week ago. I would have just gone to the washroom with you if I had shaved today."

He nodded as if I had confirmed what he was thinking. "That's what I thought, but I could smell your aftershave from down the hall. It's simply overpowering." He said, shifting his bag on his shoulder. "Did you put some on before you left?"

I shook my head again, ignoring Ron who prodded my side as he realized what Draco was actually smelling. I attempted to dampen the blush that was spreading across my face.

Draco shrugged and kissed the top of my head, walking across the class to sit next to Pansy.

Ron nudged my arm again, quite forcefully. "Shut up, Ron." I said, my face growing more and more red. I couldn't help but smile. Ron laughed and shook his head.

A second after Draco sat down, Snape appeared in his portrait. "Good afternoon, class. Good to have you back, Mr. Malfoy. Mrs. Parkinson, would you please tell Mr. Malfoy what we have been discussing in class recently?" Pansy nodded, turning to Draco and whispering inaudibly as Snape began to talk about the next potion we would be studying.

I turned my head slightly, watching as Pansy described to Draco what defensive spells we had learned for a few potions so far.

Suddenly Draco sat up a little straighter. "Wait what was that last one?" He asked, his eyes traveling toward Snape's desk.

"Amortentia." She repeated, looking annoyed that he had interrupted her. I could practically hear his brain putting pieces of the puzzle together. Click.

His ears turned a violent shade of red, his cheeks flooded with color. He glanced over at me, his grey eyes full of realization. I looked away quickly, trying not to smile. Ron was holding back laughter next to me, obviously having seen Draco's reaction.

I heard Draco clear his throat, "Alright. Please continue." he said to Pansy who began another continuous stream of information.

I didn't hear another word that was spoken for the rest of the class.

* * *

Ron, Draco and I were waiting at the entrance of the castle for Hermione, who asked us to wait for her. Draco couldn't quite meet my eyes.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, Ron looked up at the giant clock.

"Bloody hell, where is she? I'm about to head over to Professor Flitwick's class to try and find her, you guys go ahead-" He began, but Hermione ran up to us panting.

"Sorry, sorry, I've just come from Hogsmeade. I lost track of time. Draco! It's good to see you." She gave him a quick hug around his midsection. He looked as shocked by this as Ron and I did, but she didn't seem to notice.

"What were you doing in Hogsmeade anyways?" Ron asked, "Didn't you have Advanced Charms?"

She shook her head, "I had to go into town remember? Professor Flitwick allowed me to miss a class because I've already turned in my essay on noise changing charms." She looked up at the clock. "We should get to Herbology, we have to replant our Mandrake today, Ron." She grabbed his hand and began walking as Ron groaned.

"I forgot we had to do that today." he said, looking disgruntled. "I hate those bloody things. Ours always bites my fingers."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "That's because you don't hold him the correct way, Ronald. You're supposed to grab him at the base of the leaves, not around his head. I tried to teach you, but you wouldn't listen."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still convinced that it just doesn't like me. Our own child. Hates me, I tell you." He put his hand over his heart, looking mockingly offended.

Hermione sighed, fighting back a smile. "Alright, Ronald." She shook her head and looked down as we began descending the hill to the Herbology greenhouses.

"Oh! Harry, Draco, did the two of you want to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow with us? I know we had planned to earlier, but since you were in the hospital.." She asked, looking over at us hopefully.

"Umm.." I said looking up at him, his brow was furrowed slightly.

"I really would like too, but I need to go see my mother. If we could go on Sunday then I'd be able to." He replied, looking across at Hermione.

She shrugged. "I'm okay with that. What about you two?" She asked, addressing Ron and me.

Ron and I looked at each other and shrugged saying. "Sure." At the same time. Draco and Hermione looked over at one another with an expression that I didn't understand. She laughed and rolled her eyes as Draco smiled. He took my hand in his, squeezing it gently and swinging our arms as we walked.

* * *

Our Mandrake was almost an adult, and it had to be moved into an incredibly large pot that I could practically fit myself into. Adult Mandrakes tend to move into other Mandrakes' pots, and we needed to let them have enough space to do so.

As we walked back up to the castle for lunch I wiped a fake tear from under my eyes, sniffing dramatically.

"Our little Drarry is all grown up." I said, batting my eyelashes and clutching my heart.

Draco laughed and pushed me a little, shaking his head. I smiled, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He kissed the top of my head as we walked.

"So, Potter. I'm going to visit my mother tomorrow morning, would you still like to come?" He asked, tucking his free hand lazily into his pocket.

I had almost forgotten about his mother and Rowle. "Of course, I'd love too. Are you sure she'd be okay with me coming?" I asked, looking up at him. He pursed his lips slightly, thinking about it.

"Well.. I'm not sure, but I would like you to come so if there is a problem, it will be handled." He tilted his head slightly as he answered. I was imagining Narcissa Malfoy pointing her wand at me and telling me to get out. It was not a pretty image.

I nodded, not saying anything.

"I'll send her an owl after.. lunch." He said, slowing his pace. I took my eyes off of his face to see Professor Sinistra gliding towards us. Draco's arm tensed on my shoulders as we came to a stop.

"Potter, there you are. Please, come with me." Draco slid his arm off my shoulders as I began walking toward her. "Malfoy, you should come as well." I stopped, looking up the hill at her. I spun around and looked at him, confused. He shrugged and climbed the hill after us.

* * *

She walked us up the long corridor to McGonagall's office, Draco was walking silently next to me, holding my hand.

I wondered if McGonagall had sent me a letter this morning, as I wouldn't have received it since we missed breakfast. I was curious as to why she would send Professor Sinistra of all people to come get us.

"Albus." Professor Sinistra said as we approached the gargoyle that guarded McGonagall's office. Suddenly, I was afraid. What if McGonagall told Draco that I had sought out Rowle? What would Draco say? I looked up at his angular face, grey eyes watching the staircase as Sinistra stepped onto it. He let my hand go, stepping up behind her. My heart was racing as we approached McGonagall's door. Why hadn't I just told Draco about what McGonagall had asked me to do? Why did I hide anything from him? I wanted to tell him everything, but Professor Sinistra opened the door. The three of us walked in. It was darker than usual. No candles were lit and the curtains had been drawn.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and a booming noise surrounded us. Draco wrapped me in his arms, squeezing me tight as if trying to shield me. After a few seconds of silence, I realized that I was okay, and I opened my eyes to see every Hogwarts professor surrounding us. The lights had been turned on and everyone was staring as Draco held me. I blushed bright red. "Draco.." I said, because he hadn't moved from his protective position.

He loosened his grip on me, turning around and jumping back slightly when he saw the crowd.

"What the.." He said, looking at Professor Sinistra.

"Lads, I told you that I was going out to get these two. Minerva wont be here for at least another 10 minutes." She put her hands on her hips, looking around and shaking her head, facing us. "We are having a small gathering for Headmistress McGonagall's 64th birthday. I thought she'd want you three here. Oh, and you too, Malfoy."

"Three?" I asked, questioningly. There were clearly over 15 people in this room.

As I said this, Ron and Hermione stepped out from behind Hagrid, walking toward us. Ron was giving me the same look as he did when he mentioned that I missed breakfast.

"Shut up." I said, blushing as Ron walked over. Hermione smiled at both of us as she approached.

Hagrid walked over, making the room shake with his heavy footsteps.

" 'Arry!" he said, patting my shoulder, causing me to bump into Draco. "Er... Malfoy. How yer doin'?" He asked, probably wondering why he was here. I had forgotten that Hagrid didn't know about us being together.

I glanced at Ron who seemed to be thinking what I was. He nodded and I cleared my throat. "I'm great Hagrid, thanks." I reached out and held Draco's hand. His ears went pink and he looked down at me. I gave him a little smile and he squeezed my hand.

"Er.." Hagrid began. Ron elbowed him in the ribs rather hard, which I'm sure Hagrid barely felt. He looked at Ron who shook his head, but Hagrid, being Hagrid, said quite loudly. "Why're the two of ya holdin' hands?" Most of the people in the room turned and looked at us. Draco's ears deepened in color, but he didn't remove his hand from mine.

"Because, Hagrid, we're together now." I said, trying to stay calm.

Hagrid laughed loudly. "Oh you are, are yeh?" He leaned his head back, laughing even louder. I knew he didn't mean any harm by it, he just didn't realize I was serious. I kept my hand in Draco's, waiting for Hagrid to look back down at me. Hermione was now covering her face with her hands, shaking her head.

Hagrid finally stopped laughing, looking down at us. His smile faded when he realized we were still holding hands and not laughing.

"Oh.. yer not serious are yah?" He asked, his big bushy brow furrowing up.

I stood up a little straighter. "Yes, I'm serious." I could see Draco's blush spreading out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh." Hagrid said, clearing his throat loudly. The entire room was staring at us. "Well! That's nice!" he said, patting me again, softer this time. "Sorry 'bout that. Thought you were kiddin'!"

I nodded, giving him a small smile. He smiled back, turing to Ron and raising his eyebrows, heaving a great sigh and walking back to the teachers.

I turned to Draco, who was still quite pink. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, turning to me when he realized I was watching him.

"Yer not serious are yah?" I said, mocking Hagrid. Draco laughed and shook his head. Hermione was more embarrassed than any of us.

She shook her head, "He never does change, does he?"

"Nope." I replied, looking over at Hagrid and smiling. As I said so many years ago, "It wouldn't be Hogwarts without him."

As soon as I said this everyone halted all conversation, hearing the staircase move. I blinked and everyone was gone, leaving Draco and I alone in her dark office. We looked at each other, but before we could take even two steps, the door opened.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, what are you two doing in here?" She said as she hastily walked toward us.

I opened my mouth to try and give an answer, but then there was the same booming noise that we heard before. I realized it was everyone saying "Surprise!" and setting off sparks from their wands. The light turned on and the group rushed forward.

McGonagall had stopped mid step, looking around at all the people, shocked.

"Oh, dear." She said, glancing over all the faces. " _Oh, dear_." She said, again, her eyes landing on me and Draco. Hagrid came stomping over, hugging her tightly. "OH, DeaR!" She said as Hagrid hugged her tightly. When he put her down she looked roughly handled. Her glasses were crooked and her hair was slightly messed up..

She straightened her robes and adjusted her glasses, unsteadily walking over to her desk. I looked over to see a whole table of drinks and desserts, along with a large cake in the middle saying "Happy Birthday, Minerva!" with an icing cat walking around the edges.

She looked around, "Who's behind all this?" She asked, searching everyone's faces. "Poppy, you didn't." Madam Pomfrey stepped forward, smiling, hugging McGonagall and patting her back.

"Happy Birthday, Dear." Pomfrey said, pulling back and leading her to the cake. McGonagall's eyes were misty as she looked down at it and then up around at all of us. I smiled at her at she looked at us, and she nodded her head slightly, at me, and then at Draco. We smiled back, going over to join Hermione and Ron who were now talking to Madam Pomfrey about McGonagall when she was our age. As McGonagall brought her a piece of cake, she overheard the story Pomfrey was telling.

"Now, now, Poppy, that's not how it went at all." She turned to us, a gleam in her eye that I had never seen. She began telling us about how she charmed a fellow Gryffindor's tie to change green when he wasn't looking at it. Her and Madam Pomfrey laughed together, just like schoolgirls. Hermione, Ron and I laughed at how simply awkward it was. I looked at Draco who was observing everyone in the room with a pleasant smile on his face. His eyes crinkled up as he looked at me.

"I've never been to a gathering like this." He said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

I smiled up at him, squeezing his hand slightly. "Well, if I ever go to something like this again, you're who I'm taking with me, so get used to it."

He smirked at me over his glass, his grey eyes searching my face. He leaned over and kissed the side of my forehead. "Will do, Potter." He said quietly.


	9. Malfoy Manor

"Potter, wake up." My eyes flew open when I felt someone touch my face. I jerked backwards, nearly falling off the bed. I looked over to see Draco's hand outstretched where my head had been.

I groaned, letting my head drop back on the pillow. It was 6 a.m., the time Draco wanted to leave to go see his mum. He put his head down on my pillow right in front of me, our noses were practically touching. I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back at him. I groaned again, burying my face in my pillow.

He kissed the side of my neck, smoothing out my hair.

"Get up, we're going to be late. I told her we'd be there at 7." He said, rubbing my back.

I sighed into my pillow, not responding.

Draco got up, I listened to the swish of coat hangers in the closet.

"Alright, I guess I'll go alone then."

I heard him sigh dramatically. I turned my head and looked over at him, he was wearing trousers that were even more posh than usual. They were unbuttoned and barely hanging on his slender waist. He was looking for a shirt in his closet, all of them looked the same to me. He took one out, looked at it and then put it back, pulling out an identical one and taking it off the hanger. He closed the closet to look in the mirror, tugging his shirt onto his slender arms, beginning to button it.

I sighed and got up, trudging over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. I propped my chin on his shoulder and looked at our reflection. His eyes were crinkled, looking at me in the mirror, his platinum hair slightly wavy, clashing against the darkness of mine. I watched as his fingers flicked down his shirt, clasping buttons gracefully. He turned his face and kissed the side of my forehead, continuing to smile at me in the mirror.

I let my arms fall off his waist, walking over to my trunk to pick out clothes. I had absolutely nothing to wear. The only thing I own that is nice are my dress robes. I looked through my sweaters and my shirts, trying to find something suitable.

Coming up with nothing, I rested my hands on the side of my trunk, sighing. Draco tossed a pair of black pants onto the floor next to me.

"Those will probably fit." He said, synching his tie.

I shrugged, pulling off my pajama pants and tugging them on. Surprisingly enough, they fit perfectly. I usually have a problem with the hem being too long, but these were exactly the right length.

"Wow, they're perfect." I said, looking over at him.

He smiled at me in the mirror, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt and tugging on a grey vest.

I took out a dark green shirt that I had, buttoning it and tucking it into my pants. I pulled on the black tie I'm supposed to wear with my dress robe and flicked my wand at it, making it tie itself. I could never figure out how to make it quite as good as Draco's. I pulled at it a little, trying to make it even. I gave up, and began to put on my belt. I looked over at Draco who was leaning on the closet looking at me, his hands tucked into his pockets. He sauntered over to me, looking me up and down, a smile spreading across his face.

"What? Too much color?" I asked, looking down at my shirt.

He shook his head, grabbing my tie and tugging it undone. He smoothed it out on my chest, looking me in the eyes as he retied it. When he was done, he grabbed it by the knot, pulling me towards him. He kissed me slowly, his other hand reaching up into the back of my hair. I put my hands on his slender waist, inhaling deeply as we kissed, smelling his rainy scent.

He leaned back from our kiss, running his fingers down my arms to hold my hands. He kissed my forehead, keeping his lips there for a lingering second, inhaling.

"Ready?" He said, looking down at me.

I nodded. He took a step back, grabbing his wand off the bed.

"Once we get outside castle grounds, we will be able to apparate there." he looked at me, grabbing my hand. I smiled at him as he lead me out of the room.

* * *

We apparated right outside of Malfoy Manor, it's huge iron gates leering down at us. Draco took a deep breath, looking at me. He kissed me one more time, waving his hand at the gates. He began to walk forward, even though the gates hadn't opened. I closed my eyes as we walked into it, expecting to feel a sharp pain, but it was like smoke whispering against my face. I looked back at the gates after we had passed through, and they looked untouched.

I turned my attention to the tall hedges that were on either side of the driveway, and I heard the trickle of a fountain in the distance. A white blur shot through the hedges. I stopped, blinking. Had I really seen that?

"Oh, don't mind old Macintyre, he's harmless." Draco said, taking my hand again.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"The peacock? That's why you stopped, isn't it?" He said, looking at me.

"Oh.. That white thing?"

Draco laughed. "Yes, that white thing. Been in the family for generations. I don't think he'll ever die."

We walked down the long path, hand in hand. As we turned a bend, Malfoy Manor appeared at the end of the road, diamond shaped windows and tall peaked roofs. Draco slowed his pace just shy of the steps, looking up at the tall, dark house.

I squeezed his hand gently, making him look at me. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, obviously nervous. We took a breath together, stepping up on the stairs. The doors opened inward immediately, allowing us to walk into the great expanse of the front hall.

I had a flashback to when Ron, Hermione and I were captured by snatchers and brought here. It somehow seemed different. Warmer. I remembered how Draco had lied when asked if he knew me. I looked up at him, wondering the reason behind his untruthfulness. Could he have cared about me even back then?

There was a long carpet leading to a large door which opened into a wide room room, the walls of the hallway were decorated with portraits of previous Malfoy family members. I could see a fire crackling in the distance, hearing it as we approached.

The echo of our footsteps traveled down the hallway. I smelled something delicious, and my stomach growled. I remembered I hadn't had breakfast. My heart was racing, looking around and waiting for Narcissa Malfoy to pop out of any corner. The only thing that kept my legs moving was Draco's hand in mine.

Once we reached the room, I looked around. It was a tall room filled with massive paintings of older generations of Malfoy families. They looked down at us, scowling, as we walked along the table and up a short staircase into a smaller room with a chandelier hanging above a wooden table. The black Marbled floors were glinting as the sunlight hit it.

"Mother?" Draco called, his voice echoing around the house.

I heard the click of heels on the marble floor, turning to see the outline of Narcissa Malfoy gliding up the hallway toward us. She smiled widely to Draco, reaching her arms out to hug him. He removed his hand from mine, embracing his mum.

"Draco." She said sweetly. Her face looked more youthful than it had the last time I had seen her, but her hair was slightly more grey. Her eyes looked tired, but she smiled widely at Draco as she fixed his hair and held his face in her small hands.

"Harry, It's good to see you." She said, patting my arm.

"Y-you too Mrs. Malfoy." I stuttered, shocked at how friendly she was being.

She smiled a little at me, her eyes flicking over me and examining my clothes, lingering on my hair. She looked back at Draco.

"Come, I have breakfast ready." She wrapped her arm around Draco's back, walking next to him in a sort of side-hug. I walked down the hallway slightly behind the two of them, the smell of food getting stronger.

We stepped out into another large room, the left side was a full kitchen with many ovens and self washing dishes. On the right was a vastly long table, covered in all sorts of food. The room reminded me of the kitchen at Sirius' house. I gaped at the amount of food laid out on the table, were there more people coming?

"Harry, have a seat." I was stirred from my trance by Narcissa's voice. She was sitting down on the other side of the table and Draco was standing behind a chair, looking at me.

"Oh, sorry. You- er- have a beautiful home." I said, walking over and grabbing a chair to sit in.

She smiled briefly, "Thank you."

As I pulled out the chair I had walked to, Draco cleared his throat. I looked at him and he glance down at the chair he was standing behind. I realized that he intended for me to sit there.

"Oh, sorry." I sat down and blushed deeply as he pushed the chair in for me.

I fiddled with one of the two forks on the left side of my plate. All the food had been placed into exquisite china. I looked down at my plate, it was grey and white marbled with a black X across the front of it. DLNM was written in the triangles of the X, much like Draco's wax seal for envelopes. There was a small ring of silver outlining the plate.

I frowned down at the plate, remembering the Malfoy crest that I had seen last time I was in their home. It was a green and black shield of some sorts, with three arrows poking through it and serpentine figures climbing up the sides.

"Would you like some eggs?" Narcissa asked me from across the table.

"Please." I said, beginning to pick up my plate. She flicked her wand and the spoon that had been sitting in the eggs lifted up and plopped a generous amount onto my plate.

"Thank you." I said, watching the spoon glide back into the bowl. Draco snapped his fingers, making at least 5 spoonfuls of food come gliding to my plate, each of them plopping food neatly next to the others. When they were done, they went back to their designated bowls.

"How do you do that?" I asked, looking at him in amazement.

A smile spread across his lips as he snapped again, making a waffle land onto his plate.

"It's a secret." He said, not looking at me.

I sighed and looked across at Narcissa, who looked at me, her eyes crinkling up like Draco's do when he smiled. She quickly looked down at the tea in her hand, blowing on it gently.

I reached for a fork, shaking my head at how ridiculous he was. My hand lingered over the many utensils laid out before me. I didn't know which one to grab. In fact, I didn't know what utensil to use for anything. On the left there were two shining silver forks and a small plate which had a knife laid across it. On the right, another knife, two spoons, two clear glasses, and a teacup with another spoon on the saucer.

I grabbed my napkin and took my time placing it over my lap, waiting for Draco to pick up a utensil.

He grabbed the bigger fork on his left, and the knife on the right, beginning to cut into his waffle. I grabbed my bigger fork and was about to begin eating my eggs when I saw Draco tilt his head. I glanced at him, and he quickly shifted his eyes down to the other for laid next to me. I quickly replaced the fork in my hand with the one Draco directed to. He went back to eating his waffle in silence. I made a quick glance at Narcissa, who was guiding a teapot over to her cup. As it poured I remembered Draco and I sitting in Madam Puddifoot's, and how he had poured our tea with a wave of his hand. Of course he learnt that from his mother.

"Tea?" She asked, clearly seeing me stare at it.

"Oh, yes, please." I said, slightly embarrassed.

She waved her hand, and the teapot glided over to me, pouring earl grey tea into my cup. Narcissa waved her hand again and two cubes of sugar danced over my cup.

"Sugar?" She asked.

"Please." I said, glancing at Draco. The corner of his mouth was upturned, and he was clearly remembering our experience at Madam Puddifoot's as well.

After Draco and I had cleared our plates, Narcissa waved her hand and the plates were instantly clean. The cutlery soared into the sink, beginning to wash itself. The tea cup and to glasses were replaced by two goblets and a clear glass. Six plates soared through the air from a shelf above Narcissa's head, two landing on each of our plates. The cutlery came flying back, this time with more forks, knives, and spoons, arranging themselves in an even more complicated manner.

"There. All ready for supper." She smiled at us brightly. "You'll be staying until then, wont you?" She asked Draco, who smiled and nodded.

"Of course." He looked at me "Would you like to go to the sitting room?"

"Sure. Sounds good." I smiled at him as he stood, pulling my chair out when I stood up. I blushed again, his manners were ridiculous.

* * *

Draco led me down the hall from which Narcissa had emerged. There was an break in the wall, which lead us down yet another hallway. This hallway was much longer, and there were several doors leading off of it. Toward the middle, there was a doorway, which opened into a room smaller than any of the others. It was warm and cozy. I felt like i was in the Gryffindor common room.

There was a huge fireplace against the wall adjacent from the door, a long black couch sat in front of it, with two black high backed chairs at either end. Draco smiled and took my hand, leading me over to the couch. I sat down in the middle, Draco plopped down on my right, swinging his arm around my shoulders and kissing my cheek.

"Draco.. did you tell your mum about.. us?" I asked, glancing behind us to see if she was around.

He shrugged, looking at the fire. "I told her that you were coming, she will figure the rest out I'm sure." He smiled at me as if this was a brilliant plan.

"But what if she.. doesn't appreciate.. our lifestyle?" I asked slowly, picking every word carefully.

He shrugged, pursing his lips. "I doubt she will have a problem with it."

I opened my mouth to reply, but the clicking of Narcissa's heels sounded as she turned the corner into the room. She paused briefly, looking at us on the couch. She cleared her throat and sat down in the chair closest to Draco.

"So, Draco. How are things at Hogwarts?" She asked, eyeing Draco's arm which was lazily draped around my shoulders.

I studied Narcissa as Draco answered. The black parts of her hair were greying, and her eyes looked weary. Where she once held herself up straight without wavering, she now leaned on the armrest of the chair, still not allowing herself to sit fully back against the chair back. Her hands twitched slightly as she sat, seemingly out of her control. I wondered if that was a symptom of her illness. She sat with her ankles crossed under her chair, leaning toward Draco and watching him as he spoke. She smiled at him, but her eyes looked sad.

Suddenly she looked at me, furrowing her brow. I looked away quickly, pretending that I was looking around the room. Their home really was beautiful. Massive, yes, but beautiful.

* * *

Draco and his mum spoke for what seemed like hours. We went through three pots of tea and several biscuits. I interjected every now again when Draco would involve me in the conversation, or Narcissa would ask a question.

I interrupted their conversation as politely as possible, asking Draco where the washroom was. He had to repeat the directions twice, but even then, I still didn't know where to go. I nodded, pretending like I understood. I got up and walked out, turning right. I remembered him saying something about entering the last door on the right. Upon opening it, I walked into a large room with a grand piano sitting in the far corner. There was a small sitting area with a couch and two small chairs, all surrounding a square table. I walked to the door adjacent from the one I entered through, tugging on the brass doorknob and finding myself in a bathroom which was larger than the room I had just walked through. There was a full bath on the right, a shower in the corner, a toilet, and two sinks. The walls, ceiling and floor were black marble.

I smirked, even the bathroom was posh.

After I washed my hands, I made my way back to the sitting room. As I approached, I heard Draco and Narcissa talking, her voice was surprisingly stern.

"I don't want to talk about my illness, Draco, I spend enough time dealing with it already."

"Mother, Rowle said he knows magic that will help. Why won't you-"

"Enough, Draco. That magic is what put you in the hospital for over a week! I will not hear of it again."

I heard Draco sigh. Narcissa spoke. "I'm going to see your father the Sunday after next. I'd appreciate it if you came."

"Mother." Draco said, sounding worn.

"Draco, please. He wants to see you. He loves you."

"I have nothing to say to him."

"Draco, be civil."

"Be civil?!" Draco cried. "Why don't you tell _him_ that."

Narcissa sighed, obviously resigned.

"Why don't you go try to find the Potter boy, It appears that he has gotten lost." Narcissa said, a familiar hint of venom in her voice.

"I'm sure Harry can find his way through a house quite easily, thank you."

Narcissa tutted. "If your father knew that you were consorting with Harry Potter of all people.."

"Well he's in Azkaban, so I'm sure it wouldn't quite reach the peak of his stress level. And I'm not consorting with him, I'm dating him."

Narcissa scoffed, "Please, _Draco_ , don't be ridiculous."

"I am, mother. And I'm quite happy. He loves me. And.. I- I love him."

I had to lean against the wall, my heart was pounding. _Had Draco really said that? To his_ mother?

Narcissa exhaled sharply. "Draco, dear, he does not love you. How could he? After what we've done?"

I heard Draco rise from the couch.

"Draco, sit down." She said firmly.

"No, mother. I have to go find my boyfriend, perhaps he _has_ gotten lost." I took a few steps backward as I heard Draco's footsteps approaching the doorway. I quickly turned to a portrait, pretending to observe it as Draco stepped out of the sitting room.

"Harry, there you are."

"Sorry, I was just admiring the erm..." I said, trailing off as I pointed at the disgruntled man in the portrait next to me.

"Would you care to take a walk in the garden? Its quite warm in here."

"Sounds lovely." I walked toward him, glancing into the sitting room. Narcissa was leaning back against her chair, her head braced in her hand, rubbing her forehead.

* * *

Draco and I stepped out of the house into the warm sunlight. We had taken many winding halls to get to the back door. I couldn't imagine how he could remember where everything was, or how to get anywhere. It was almost as complex as Gringotts.

His garden was nearly as big as his house. The tall hedges wrapped all the way around the exterior. There were small clusters of beautiful flowers sprinkled around the garden. A massive white marble fountain was in the center of a large flower bed. There were four trails leading over to it. The stone steps led down to a gravel road, which narrowed and broke off into smaller paths through the garden. The paths reminded me of tree branches.

Draco held my hand, leading me down the steps and towards the fountain. As we approached, I could smell the sweet scent of the flowers. It was somehow familiar.

Draco bent down near some white flowers, inhaling deeply.

"I love the smell of these. They're my favorite." He smiled at them as he rubbed his pale thumb against the petal of one. "I use them to make my cologne."

"You make your own cologne?" I asked, astounded.

He looked up at me, smirking. "I can't find anything that I like, so I just used these, along with some other things."

I rolled my eyes, of course he did.

He stood up. "What?" He asked innocently.

I shook my head. "Nothing." I smiled, pecking him on the lips.

He smiled and looked at me for a second before leading me over to a bench that was facing the fountain.

The water that was pouring out of the fountain was a greenish blue, and it was sparkling underneath the bright sun. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and cherishing the sweet smell and the sound of the trickling water. I leaned my head back, opening my eyes and watching the clouds roll by. I sighed happily, looking back at Draco, who was watching me and smiling.

I squeezed his hand and smiled at him. The corners of his eyes crinkled up even more and he kissed my cheek.

His smile faded, and he turned to watch the fountain. He held my hand in his lap, gently stroking the back of it. "My mother.. She's ill." He looked down at my hand as he played with my fingers. "I was trying to find a cure for her. That's why I was in the hospital. I wasn't strong enough." He looked away, his voice shaking.

I didn't know what to say, so put my hand on top of his, making him look down at our hands and then up at me.

"Harry... I need to tell you something." He closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "I don't even know how to explain this." He rubbed his forehead, inhaling and looking up at the sky.

He seemed to find the right words and looked straight ahead of him, avoiding my eyes.

"Do you remember.. Thorfinn Rowle? He's a death eater- well- he was a death eater." He glanced at me as I nodded, realizing where this was going.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from me. "Well.. I've been seeing him. He said he knew how to help my mum, so I met with him and he taught me a spell that might've worked on her. There were a few first years who were getting sick because of some contagious jinx, and I tried it on them- with their permission- and they were all better. As far as I know, they haven't experienced side effects or anything." He looked at me nervously, obviously expecting me to react badly.

"Rowle, he's a changed man. Really. He's married now! He has a kid on the way. They live over near Knockturn Alley in a broken down shop. The magic he showed me, it wasn't dark magic, it was just really powerful. I practiced with it too much. Now I can't even use it to help my mum." He rubbed his forehead again, sighing. "I understand if you want to leave. I just.. wanted to tell you." He stared down at our hands.

"Draco.. I know." I said, watching as his grey eyes flashed up at me.

"Y-you know?" He asked, his eyes searching my face.

It was my turn to sigh and find the right words. I removed my hands from his, tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

"McGonagall.. she showed me the letters. When you were in the hospital I... I found Rowle." I couldn't bear to look at him. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"You knew and you didn't say anything to me?" He asked in an even voice.

"Well.. I knew that you wouldn't involve yourself with dark magic again, so there had to be a reason behind why you were sending letters to Rowle. I tried to think of another reason to your letters, but when you were in the hospital I knew that I needed to find Rowle and get a clear answer. If he was still dark, I needed to know. I um.." I closed my eyes as I said these next few words. "I sent Rowle a letter in your handwriting, asking him to meet me at hogshead. I went and tracked him to his hideout. I met his wife, she's very kind. She invited me to stay for dinner."

After what seemed like weeks of silence, I opened my eyes to look up at him. He had an odd expression on his face. He looked slightly pained. His eyebrows were knitted together and he was staring at me unblinkingly.

I looked away, wishing I hadn't said anything. I stood up, turning to walk down the path toward the house. "I'll go. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just-" a lump had formed in the back of my throat and tears prickled my eyes. I had ruined everything. My breathing was getting heavy, and I felt sick.

The gravel crunched beneath my feet as I began walking up to the house. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

Just as I put my foot on the first step, I heart a slight shift of gravel from far away.

"Harry, wait." He said, I turned back around. He had taken a step toward me, but wasn't walking anymore. He looked conflicted. I turned back around and took the steps two at a time, walking through the winding hallways, trying to keep myself together.

I nearly walked right into Draco's mum.

"Harry there you are, where's Draco? Lunch is ready in the sunroom."

"He- he's in the garden. Thank you for breakfast, I have to go."

"What-?" She began, as I rushed past her, down the stairs and out the front door.

Get to the gates. Get to the gates. Get to the gates. I repeated over and over in my head. If I got past the gates I could apparate wherever I wanted. I felt my chest tightening as I fought back the lump in my throat.

"Harry!" I heard Draco's voice behind me, followed by the click of his shoes on the pavement. I winced when he touched me, expecting him to throw me down or punch me. My arms folded up and I guarded my face with my hands.

It was a second before I realized that Draco was in fact hugging me, not attacking me. My arms were pressed against his chest, his cheek rested on the top of my head. I realized that I had been holding my breath, and I exhaled, my eyes began prickling with tears. He wasn't angry? I blinked quickly as he pulled away, avoiding his eyes.

He held my face in his hands, "You believed in me, even though you didn't have reason to. Why?"

"Because you're different now. Well, not different, really, just... you were forced to be bad before, and I knew that if you had a choice you wouldn't be that way. And well.. because.. I love you." I looked him as I said this, his grey eyes were searching my face. A smile spread across his lips and he kissed me, pushing his fingers into my hair. I slid my hands around his waist and kissed him back. Slightly confused as to why he wasn't angry. We kissed for a long time, only breaking it when Macintyre came over and spread his feathers angrily.

"Oh shove off you big bunny." Draco said, smiling down at him, his hands still tangled in my hair. The peacock gave an offended trill and scurried off into the hedge. Draco turned back to me, kissing my lips gently. He pulled away slightly, tilting his head, kissing me again. He leaned back, pushing my hair off my face, then sliding his hands down to my shoulders. He adjusted my tie and smoothed down my shirt.

He angled his body in the direction of his house, holding out his hand.

"Shall we?" He said, a smile on his lips.

I took his hand and nodded walking back up the driveway. I froze when I saw Narcissa Malfoy standing in the doorway, watching us with her arms folded. Blushing furiously, I cleared my throat, making Draco look at me. When he did, I glanced in the direction of the door, he looked over, confused. Upon seeing his mum, his ears turned pink and he looked at me, biting his lip to stifle his laughter.

"Oops." he said quietly, as we walked up the stairs.

I squeezed my lips together and looked down as we walked past Narcissa, back into the house.


	10. Tuffin the House Elf

Draco lead me to a room which had tall windows covering three of the four walls. In the center of the room was a table and four chairs. On the table was a large pile of sandwiches, surrounded by different bowls full of mashed potatoes, yorkshire puddings, and other delicious looking foods.

I pulled out a chair looking back at Draco. He smirked at me, walking over to it and sitting down gracefully. When I sat down, he leaned over and kissed my cheek. Narcissa sat down in the chair opposite me, observing us as she waved her hand and served the food.

I cleared my plate, getting a second sandwich off of the tray in front of us. Draco was sipping his tea, looking out the window at the wild peacocks roaming around. I wondered what made Macintyre the peacock different from the other ones. They all look the same to me.

"Draco, dear, why don't you go get your violin and play us the tune I love so much?" My mouth dropped open and I looked at Draco, who's ears were now pink.

"Mother, I'm sure Harry doesn't want to hear-"

"Yes, I do." I said, fighting back laughter as Draco shot me a menacing look. He rolled his eyes, setting down his tea and scooting out his chair. I watched him walk out, smiling as he glared at me.

I chuckled a little bit, turning my direction back to the table. The smile was knocked clean off my face when I saw the way Narcissa was looking at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it.

"Do you remember what I said to you the first time we met?" She said, coldly.

I thought back to two years ago in Madam Malkin's robe shop when Draco was insulting Hermione. Ron and I had our wands drawn and pointed at Draco, daring him to say one more word against Hermione. I had suggested that she should find a double cell in Azkaban with her husband, causing Draco to get quite angry. She comforted him, suggesting that I'd be dead soon.

"Erm.." I said stupidly, unsure of what she was trying to pick out of this particular encounter, and hoping that it wasn't the implication of my near death.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, much like Draco does. She glared at me over the table, her eyes cold. "Draco is my son. My only son. If you hurt him, it will be the very last thing that you do. It would suit you well to remember that." Then, jutting her chin forward, she looked down at her tea and raised her eyebrows. "It seems that he is quite keen on you, and I am not going to be a barrier on my own son's happiness. I love him more than you could ever understand, and I will protect him until my very last breath. "

I didn't know what to say. As harsh and terrifying as Narcissa was, you could always rely on her to protect her family, not matter the cost.

"I love him, too." I said, watching as she flicked her long hair over her shoulder and scoffed.

"I do." I said, enraged that she wasn't taking me seriously. "I have no intention of ever hurting your son."

She watched me steadily as she took a sip of her tea. "We will see."

Though her voice was threatening, her gaze seemed softer. She smiled widely as Draco walked in with a violin in hand.

"Draco, dear, play that one that goes 'dun deee do dun dee do dun dee'." She smiled up at him, clasping her hands together.

He nodded in understanding, walking over to the window. He smirked back at me as he propped the violin underneath his angular chin, turning to look out the window. He raised the bow, sliding it slowly against a string.

A sweet piercing note sounded through the air, reverberating against the windows. Three long notes echoed through the room, followed by a downfall of short ones.

As Draco played, a few locks of his blonde hair fell in front of his face, his eyes were closed, and his brow was furrowed in concentration. His slender fingers flew along the neck of the violin gracefully. He rocked back and forth on his feet, swaying with the music. His slender silhouette was outlined by the bright light of the window, the sharp angle of his waist enhanced by the fitted vest he was wearing.

I smiled as he shrugged his shoulders up during the high notes, only to let them fall back down when he played lower ones. This song truly was beautiful.

I looked at Narcissa, who had apparently been watching me. Her mouth upturned into the smallest smile before turning back to watch Draco, taking a sip of tea.

After a particularly long note, Draco moved the violin to rest on his hip, turning and bowing to us, mocking a formal performer. He waved his hand at the violin and bow, causing them to rest up against the wall, as if on a hook. He sat down in his chair, and his mother reached over touching his hand.

"That was beautiful, Draco." She said, smiling at him.

"Thank you, mother." He said, glancing at me.

"It really was great." I said, making his ears go red.

"Thanks, Potter." He said, the corner of his mouth rising into a smile. "Care to play a game of chess?" He asked, gesturing to the chess board on a table near the edge of the room.

"Well.. I'm not that good." I said, remembering how many times I lost to Ron. I was sure Draco was better.

"Splendid." He said, his grey eyes wrinkling up as he smiled.

We made our way over to the chessboard, taking a seat on either side of the table.

Draco picked up a pawn with his slender white fingers, setting it down with a gentle click. He looked up, "Your move."

* * *

After three rounds of chess, all of which Draco won, we had dinner. Throughout which, Draco signaled to me which utensil to use for which food item, and which glass to use for which drink. I made a mental note to ask Hermione how to eat in a formal place setting for the next time I came to Malfoy manor.

Draco got up from the table, laying his napkin down by his plate. "I'm just going to put the violin back, I'll be back in a moment." He disappeared down the hall, only to return a moment later. "Mother, do you know if Tuffin put my winter coat in my room? I'll be needing it soon."

Narcissa pursed her lips. "I believe so. If not, then its bound to be in the study room closet."

Draco nodded, about to turn away. He looked at me, a smile tugging on his lips. "Would you like to come along?"

"Sure." I said, eager to avoid another awkward silence with Narcissa.

I got up and walked with him down the never ending hallways, up two flights of stairs, past an incredibly large wardrobe, only stopping once we reached a set of massive double doors. They were nearly as tall as Hagrid, and twice as wide.

Draco Turned both of the handles, pushing the doors open and outstretching his hand for me to walk in. I gasped when I entered, the room was remarkable.

The black marbled floors stretched about as wide as half Quidditch ring. There was a platform on which his canopy bed sat, with a black satin comforter and silver silk sheets. A fireplace stuck out from the wall, with a large carpet, a tall black chair, and table sitting in front of it. There were two immense windows revealing the expanse of a beautiful lake. There were tall silver and black curtains hanging on either side, which were now pinned back, allowing the sunset to splash his room with color. A grand piano sat in the corner of the room, to the left of the fireplace. It was larger and more beautiful than the one I passed on the way to the washroom.

Draco walked over and placed his violin on a stand near the piano. He turned around to look at me, tucking his hands lazily in his pockets.

"Well?" He said, studying me, "Do you like it?"

My mouth was hanging open as my eyes searched around the room and up to the heightened ceiling, which curved to a point at the very top, a long chain hanging down which held an exquisite chandelier.

"Like it?" I repeated, astonished. "Draco, this room is bloody brilliant!" I said, reaching out and feeling the black and silver striped wallpaper.

Draco smiled as he stepped up onto the uprising on which his bed sat. He wrapped his hand around the banister, looking down at me. "I do rather like it here." he said, observing the room. He sighed, swinging on the banister and hopping down, walking over to a door on the wall next to the fireplace. I could see a long row of fancy suits, pants and shirts. A shorter row of identical black shoes sat underneath. I shook my head and smiled, my eye landing on a bureau to my right that I hadn't seen before. I walked over to it, looking down at the photographs which lay on top.

There were a few picture frames containing Draco at all ages. One where he was a baby and his mother is holding him in her arms, looking down at him lovingly. The one next to it had him and another young boy running in front of a fountain, which looked identical to the one in their garden. There was a green picture frame which contained Draco, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle laughing, wearing Slytherin robes, probably around their 5th year. Draco had only one photo with his father, in which they were looking toward the camera Stoically, Lucius had his hand on Draco's shoulder.

I walked slowly around the room, observing the fine art hung on the walls. There was a china tea set on the table next to the fire, it's silver rim glinted int he firelight. I slid my hand over the keys of the piano, my finger pressing down. A sweet note erupted from it, echoing through the room.

"You play?" Draco called from the depths of his closet.

I instantly regretted walking over here.

He poked his head around the corner, looking over at me.

"You play?" He repeated, probably thinking I didn't hear him the first time.

"Erm.. I know one song." I said, remembering how Hermione had taught me Fur Elise a few years ago. "I probably couldn't play it." I said, chuckling nervously.

"Give it a try." He said, smiling.

I shook my head, stepping back from the piano. "Uhh no, it's okay." I said laughing.

"Go on then, I played something for you. It's your turn." He said, winking and then walking back into his closet.

I rubbed the back of my neck, not moving. He didn't come out again. I slowly stepped toward the piano, sitting on the bench with a loud creak. I rested my fingers on the cold piano keys, closing my eyes and pretending I was back at Grimmauld Place with Hermione sitting next to me.

I took a deep breath, letting my fingers move naturally. The sweet flowing melody of Fur Elise swept through the room, sounding much better than it had on Sirius' piano. It felt as though someone else was playing it. My fingers jumped form key to key, playing the bouncing arpeggios with ease. This had been my only relaxation back in the days of Horcrux hunting.

I began to slow down as I came to the end of the song, opening my eyes as I played the last three notes. Draco was leaning on the piano, smiling down at me.

He leaned over and kissed me. "Beautiful." He said as he pulled away.

I blushed slightly, wondering how long he had been standing there. "Found your coat then?" I asked, observing a coat hanging over his arm.

He nodded. "Still can't find my gloves, though. Tuffin, come here please."

I was just about to ask what he was talking about when the door creaked open. I turned, expecting to see Narcissa, but a short house elf appeared. He had a few straggly hairs, and his eyes were bright blue and squinted, as if he had trouble seeing. His long, bony fingers were wrapped around the door.

"How can Tuffin be of assistance, Master Draco." The house elf asked, bowing deeply.

"Have you seen my gloves anywhere? I thought I put them back in my closet." Draco said, sauntering over to the elf.

"Tuffin moved them down to the front hall closet for easier access, Master Draco." The house elf replied, bowing again.

"Ah, I imagined so." Draco said, picking a piece of lint off his coat.

"Tuffin will go fetch Master Draco's gloves." he said, beginning to walk out of the room.

"No, that's alright. I'll grab them before I leave. Thank you, Tuffin, that will be all."

The house elf bowed deeply out of the room. I stared at the doorway after he left, shocked at how kind Draco had been to the house elf. I remembered Lucius Malfoy kicking Dobby down the stairs in Dumbledore's office.

"Ready?" Draco asked, walking over to me.

I nodded, smiling as he took my hand and kissed the side of my head.

We walked down the stairs and through the maze of hallways, meeting Narcissa at the front door.

She hugged Draco tightly, "Write soon, dear." She said as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her eyes crinkled up into a smile as she held his face in her hands.

"I'll see you at Christmas." Draco said as she dropped her hands down. He kissed her cheek, stepping forward and descending the stairs.

She looked at me for a moment, and I stood there awkwardly, letting her decide where this confrontation would go.

Suddenly, she wrapped her graceful arms around my shoulders, patting my back once and letting me go. The hug was rigid and short, but I knew she meant well.

"Take care." She said, giving me a strained smile.

"You, too." I said, returning the smile and practically running down the stairs to join Draco.

He turned around and waved as Narcissa called, "I love you!" Right as we were turning the bend.

Macintyre the peacock followed us all the way to the gate.

* * *

Once we apparated to just outside Hogwarts grounds, Draco wrapped his arm around me, shielding me against the cold wind.

"Thanks for coming with me." He said, his voice gravely.

"You're welcome. I had fun." I said truthfully.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure my mum threatening your life was just wonderful for you."

I blushed. "I um.. didn't know you heard that."

I felt him nod as he laughed. "You did well, though. Seemed to me that she actually sort of liked you by the end of the day."

"Oh great she 'actually sort of' liked me. Perfect." I said, sarcastically, making him laugh even more.

"That's a good sign, Potter. Be happy."

I smiled, looking up at the great doors of the castle, shivering as the warmth of the building enveloped me.

We walked up the winding stairs and into the common room where Hermione and Ron were sitting on the couch.

Surprisingly, Draco was the one to walk over to the two of them, not me.

"Hermione. How are you?" He asked her as I approached.

"Good! I've finished all my homework. How was your mothers?" She asked cheerfully.

"I'm fine, thanks." Ron mumbled as he scooted over to let me sit down on the couch next to him, rolling his eyes and nodding in the direction of Draco and Hermione.

"It was wonderful. Good to see her." He said, smiling down at her. "I never got the chance to ask how you liked the necklace I got you for your birthday? I forget every time I see you."

Hermione gasped, looking appalled. "I never thanked you? I love it, Draco! It's simply beautiful." She got up and gave him a tight hug, pulling back and letting him observe the necklace. He smiled as he held it in his fingers.

"I'm glad you like it. I'm quite proud of it." He said, flipping it over in his long, delicate fingers.

"What do you mean? Y- you made this?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Draco nodded and shrugged. "I picked up the necklace at a small shop in town, took out the regular decorative beads inside and charmed it. It's not a big deal."

"Wow Draco, that's impressive. I don't think I'd ever be able to do something like this."

Draco laughed and shook his head. "Of course you could, you're the brightest witch I've ever met."

Hermione blushed and smiled widely, looking up at him.

Ron crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, scoffing. Hermione shot him a menacing look.

"Thank you, Draco. I love it." She smiled at him again, sitting down and picking up her book.

Draco turned to me. "I'm headed upstairs. You staying down here?"

I yawned and shook my head. "No, I'll come up. Been a long day."

"Night, guys. See you tomorrow." I said to Ron and Hermione as I walked up the stairs with Draco.

* * *

As I shut the door behind me, I turned to see Draco leaning against the bedpost, his hands lazily tucked into his pockets. He was smiling at me as he walked over, looking me up and down. I couldn't help but smile back. I loved it when he did that.

His right hand slid out of his pocket, sliding up my chest. It stopped when it reached the knot of my tie. He tugged me forward with it, much like he had this morning. This time, though, he reached his hand around my waist, pulling me flush up against his body. I ran my hands down his back, tugging on his posh vest.

He stepped backward, his back hitting the bedpost. He turned us to where the back of my knees pressed up against the bed. I sat down on the bed as he pulled my shirt off over my head. He kissed me as he kneeled down on the ground in front of me, tugging off my belt. I snapped my fingers and the buttons of his vest and shirt flew open. He looked down, confused, then he smiled and tugged them off, standing up as he pushed me back onto the bed. I smiled into his lips as he kissed me, lifting my hips as he took off my trousers. My hands slid up his smooth back, feeling the muscles move under his pale skin.

I leaned into him, causing him to lay on his back. I slid my hand down his stomach, unlatching his belt and throwing it on the floor. I snapped my fingers again, causing his trousers to unbutton and fly off. He smiled and laughed as I kissed him, his right hand reaching up and sliding through my hair. I propped my self up on one arm, sliding my thigh in between his legs. His left hand traveled down my back and he firmly grabbed the back of my thigh, pressing his hard dick onto my leg. I moaned into his mouth and pushed my hips forward so that he could feel that I was just as hard as he was. He inhaled through his nose sharply, not breaking the kiss. His fingers knotted into my hair and tugged.

He flipped us over on the bed, to where I was the one laying on my back. He rubbed his hard dick against mine, only two thin layers of fabric separating them. I wrapped my arm around the small of his back as he pressed his body onto mine, knotting my other hand into his hair. He began kissing my neck, then moving farther down and leaving a trail of kisses down my chest, pulling off my boxers as he went. My hand only left his hair when I couldn't reach him anymore.

My eyes shot open as I felt his tongue swirl around the tip of my penis. I took a shaky breath, letting my eyes close again as his lips closed around the head of my dick, sucking gently and then letting go. He took my dick into his mouth again, sliding his hand up and down as he sucked on the tip. Soon his head and his hand were bobbing up and down in a synchronized fashion as he built up speed, taking more of my dick in his mouth with each down stroke. Finally, he removed his hand all together, taking my entire dick into his mouth. I felt as the tip of my dick touched the back of his throat. He moved his head up again, teasing me.

I looked down at him, and nearly came when I saw his dark grey eyes staring unblinkingly up at me as he moved his head back down again, pressing my dick against the back of his throat. A fresh wave of desire surged through my body, causing my muscles to weaken. A moan caught in my throat as I let my head fall back against the mattress. His head never stopped moving, I had to take a deep breath before I could look at him again. I didn't want to cum too early.

I lifted my head shakily, looking down at him again, nearly losing it when I saw he was still watching me. I propped myself up on my elbows, leaning back and watching as his lips moved up and down on my hard dick. I could feel my heartbeat in my erection as he pushed his face down, pressing my dick to the back of his throat. He swallowed once causing the tip of my dick to bend down his throat slightly.

"Ohh Fuck." A moan escaped my lips as I, once again, was weakened by desire. My head rocked backwards, out of my control as I tried to calm myself.

He held his face there, swallowing to allow me to slip farther down his throat. I looked back down at him as I reached one of my hands down, knotting my fingers in his hair. I thrust myself farther back into his throat, holding his head down. His hands were grabbing at my hips. God he looked so good. His blonde eyelashes clashing against his dark grey eyes, cheekbones enhanced and causing angular shadows to fall across his face. A few wavy blonde hairs hanging down in front of him. He exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes and swallowing around my dick again, causing a tugging feeling on my dick. I knew that there wasn't any more of myself to push into him and that quickly brought me to the edge of climax.

I quickly removed my fingers from his hair, and held my breath, trying to contain myself and let him remove his himself from me. I tried to warn him, but my words got caught in my throat as he swallowed again, causing me to gasp. It was almost agonizing. I found my voice and said, "I'm gonna cum, Draco." through my teeth, a quiver going through my body. I barely held on, using every particle of my being to wait for him to move.

He slowly began to move his head backwards. I was nearly biting through my lip as the tip of my dick unbent from the curve of his neck. God, couldn't he go any faster, I was about to lose myself.

Suddenly his hands grabbed my hips firmly and he pushed my dick back down his throat, swallowing hard and causing the tip of my penis to bend back down his throat.

"FUCK." I said as I released myself into the back of his throat, pressing my hips up into his mouth. My breathing was shaky as I quivered beneath his strong hands. My chest was tight, slowly relaxing with every breath I took.

Draco pulled me out of his mouth slowly, sucking softly on the head of my penis, kissing my lower stomach once, and then my neck, gently scraping his teeth on my jaw as he kissed it roughly. He was getting me all worked up again, right as I had calmed down. I could feel the blood rushing back to my dick.

I pushed him onto his back, yanking off his boxers. I kissed him once, and then slid off the bed, taking him into my mouth. I heard him take a shaky breath, and saw his hand go into his hair. It was so hot how quickly he was aroused.

I was just beginning to take more of him into my mouth when I felt both of his cool hands slide around my face. I glanced up at him, confused. He began to pull me toward his face, kissing me gently. I could feel his dick throbbing against my leg as I laid on him.

He broke our kiss, his hands wrapped around the back of my neck. I studied his face. his eyebrows were pulled together and his eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted. He took a shaky breath. "I want you." He said.

I was confused, as he quite obviously had me in every way I could think of. "What?" I asked dumbly, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly his eyes opened, darker than ever. His blonde eyelashes were practically white against them. He kissed me roughly, rolling on top of me. He pressed his dick against mine, and I nearly came again. I could feel his dick throbbing, his breathing sharp and short as he kissed me. His hand left my hair, and a second later I felt something smooth and cold bump into my arm. I glanced down, seeing a white bottle. I frowned trying to figure out where it came from, but then I realized what he was telling me.

He wants me.

 _He wants me._

My stomach flipped as I looked into his dark grey eyes. They searched my face as he breathed heavily.

I picked up the white bottle that Draco had placed next to my arm, opening it with my thumb. Draco propped himself up on one arm, watching my hands. I squirted some lubricant onto my fingertips, tossing the bottle aside after I closed it. Draco watched my hand as I brought it down to his dick. As I wrapped my fingers around his throbbing penis he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. The hairs that were hanging in front of his face were trembling as he breathed.

His left hand disappeared from my face and reached down to the inside of my thigh, where he pushed my knee up on the bed near my hip. He then reached over to where my hand was moving up and down his shaft. I felt one of his fingers brush against my hand and I looked at him, confused. He was looking down, and I only questioned why for one second before I felt his strong finger pressing against my tight asshole.

The sudden shock made my hand stop moving, and my body went rigid as he rubbed the outside of my anus, slowly pressing inside of me. He pushed his finger in and out of my asshole, slowly working his finger in deeper. Just when I had begun to get used to this penetration, he removed his finger, returning a second later with more lube, pressing two fingers inside me. I gasped and clawed at his back, twisting and turning against the pain and pleasure I felt as he pushed his fingers inside of me. After working a third finger inside my asshole for a few seconds, I had begun to relax.

I rubbed my hand up and down his dick one last time and said. "I'm ready."

His grey eyes looked into mine, full of desire. He pulled his fingers out of me, bracing on the leg he had pushed up near my hip as he kneeled on the bed. He pulled my left leg up, over his shoulder, reaching his hand down to his own dick to guide it. He looked into my eyes, his blonde hair trembling in front of his face. I looked back at him, nodding slightly.

He glanced down for a moment, but then looked back at me right as I felt his hard dick press up against my asshole. My mouth opened, as if I were going to scream, but whatever I would have said got caught in the back of my throat as my chest swelled with desire. My eyes rolled back into my head and I let them close as Draco slowly began pressing his slick dick in and out of my asshole. He pressed in slowly, pulling back when I tightened my grip on the arm that was pressing against my right thigh. I couldn't make any noise, as my body was so rigid against his movement. He pressed in again, his hand sliding up my left leg which was resting on his strong shoulder. I felt his thigh press against my ass and I knew that he had gone all the way in. He pulled back slowly, pushing in again as he took a shaky breath.

I realized it must be difficult for him to move so slowly. Up until this point I had been too stiff to do anything other than feel him enter my body. The swelling in my chest was becoming more manageable, so I opened my eyes to look at him. God, I wished I had looked sooner.

He was biting down on his lower lip as he pushed slowly into me, he let his lips part as he exhaled. His eyebrows were pulled together into a point above his closed eyes. His head was tilted back slightly, hair resting on his forehead as his adams apple moved up and down when he swallowed. His porcelain white chest was heaving as he took ragged breaths. My tan leg up on his shoulder made him look almost transparent. His hand was gripping my left leg tightly, pressing it against his chest. I looked down at the hand he had placed on my right leg, seeing that his fingers were clawing my thigh. He must be doing everything he can to keep things slow.

I slid my hand up his arm and looked back up at his face. He had opened his eyes at my movement, they were boring into me. He paused as he was pulling back, watching my face. I didn't know what to do. God, I wanted him.

"Fuck me." I said, surprising even myself.

Draco's eyes closed tightly as he exhaled sharply, saying, "Christ." airily.

He thrust himself all the way into me. I gasped at the movement, my eyes closing slowly. overwhelmed by pain and pleasure. My chest was becoming tight again as I felt his body begin to shake, turned on even more at his arousal. He pulled himself out, pushing himself back in even harder, causing a slapping sound as our bodies collided. A moan emerged from his lips and I opened my eyes to watch his head roll backwards as he thrust into me, gaining speed. He formed a steady pace, finally raising his head to look down at me. He bent forward, putting his hand on the bed next to my face, leaning on it as he thrust into me. A quiet moan escaped my lips. My left knee was next to my face as he leaned his body against my leg. His blonde hair was tickling my forehead while he stared into my eyes.

Our breathing was quick and shaky, and I could feel his arm trembling as he held his body above me. He closed his eyes, dropping his head onto my shoulder as his breathing became sharp and ragged through his parted lips.

"I'm going to cum." He said, looking back up into my eyes.

I slid my hand around the back of his neck, kissing him. He moaned into my mouth, picking up his speed, thrusting into me and causing the bed to rock.

His lips left mine, a moan getting caught in his throat as his mouth opened wider. "Shit, Harry." He sucked in air through his teeth. "Fuck."

He slammed into me, and I moaned with him as he released himself into me. Warmth spreading deep inside me as he thrust again. He pushed into me once more, his body relaxing on top of me, breathing getting heavier. We stayed like that for a minute while our breathing returned to normal. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at me as he took a deep breath.

He pulled his dick out of me slowly. I gasped at the movement and he smirked.

He pushed himself up and off of the bed, letting my legs extend. My hips were sore from having him fold my legs up so high, but it felt good.

* * *

He pulled on his silk pajama bottoms, then he placed one arm underneath both of my legs, and one arm under my back.

"Draco, what are you do-?" I began to ask, but suddenly he had lifted me off of the bed. My mouth dropped opened, I was shocked at how incredibly strong he was. He snapped his fingers, and the bed's covers yanked down. He plopped me down on the bed, crawling under the covers next to me and pulling them up around us. He wrapped a strong arm under and around my waist, pulling me to him. He waved his left hand, causing the lights to go out.

"How do you do that?" I asked questioningly.

"It's a secret." He said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

I smiled and sighed, knowing he'd never tell me. I reached my right hand up and tucked it into his hair. His left hand began stroking my arm gently. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his sweet, stormy scent, thinking of the flowers in his garden.

"I love you, Draco." I said, closing my eyes tightly, ears alert for his response.

"I love you, too, Harry." He replied, smile still audible.

My heart leapt, hearing him say those words to me. I kissed his cheek softly. His arm tightened around my waist as he kissed my forehead.

I fell asleep quickly, exhausted from our day. My face hurt from smiling.


	11. Occupation Counseling

I inhaled deeply as I woke up the next morning, hearing the turning of a page. I rolled over, looking up at Draco who had those silver wire spectacles resting on his nose.

"Good morning." He said, stroking my hair.

"Good morning." I replied, sliding my arm over his smooth chest.

He set his book down on the bureau, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer to kiss my forehead.

"Sleep well?" He asked, pushing my hair aside.

I nodded, kissing his chin and smiling up at him.

He plucked my glasses off the bureau and put them delicately on my face, kissing my nose. I smiled wider, then closed my eyes and snuggled my face into the crook of his neck.

"Oh no you don't." he said, sliding away from me and standing up. "We have to get up in 5 minutes, and I know if you start getting all snuggly you won't want to get up."

I sighed, grabbing his pillow and pulling it under my head, closing my eyes.

"Harry Potter, you get up right now, I'll not have any of this today." He said, sounding quite like his mother.

"It's Sundayyy, Draco, can't I sleep in?"

"We're going to Hogsmeade with Hermione and Ron, remember?" He said, sounding less stern.

I sighed. "We can always go on another day."

I heard him take a deep breath. "No, we have to go today."

"Why?"

Suddenly his pillow disappeared from underneath my head. "Because," his pillow landed on top of my head. "I said so."

I scowled at him from underneath the pillow he had put on me. His eyes crinkled up as he smiled down at me, crossing his arms.

"Fine." I said, sliding out of bed and pulling my pants on.

I felt the bed shift behind me, and suddenly his legs were on either side of me, his arms sliding around my waist. He kissed the side of my neck, sending chills down my spine.

I leaned back against his cool chest, wrapping my arms over his. He kissed my cheek, and I turned my head, his handsome grey eyes were practically sparkling. I kissed him softly, feeling a smile grow on his lips.

* * *

We met Ron and Hermione outside of Hogwarts' main entrance, making our way down the chilly path to Hogsmeade.

Upon arrival to the Three Broomsticks, we all sat down at a table, attempting to defrost.

"I'll get the drinks, butterbeer for everyone?" Ron asked, looking at all of us.

"Is that the yellow drink you made me try last time?" Draco asked me.

I sighed, nodding.

Ron gaped. "That yellow drink-? Try-? You mean to tell me you've only had butterbeer once?" He looked back and forth between us, his mouth hanging open. "Impossible, you are, Malfoy. Just impossible." Ron mumbled, throwing his hands in the air and walking over to the bar.

Draco shrugged at me, tugging off his gloves. "It's not my fault Slytherins usually stuck to fire whiskey." He said, a smirk on his lips.

I rolled my eyes, looking over at Hermione. To my bewilderment, she was reading.

"Hermione, you do realize this isn't the library." I said, causing her to look up and blush.

"Right, sorry, I was just researching something. Sorry." She snapped her book shut, putting it in her pocket, which I'm assuming has an extension charm cast on it.

She thanked Ron as he set our drinks down on the table. I took a sip of my butterbeer, letting the warmth pool in my stomach.

"So, Malfoy, how's your mum doing?" Ron asked, looking at him.

Ron flinched as Hermione kicked him underneath the table. Ron hurried to give an explanation behind his question.

"Oh- uh be-because my mum's been feeling sick lately s-so I just thought that maybe there was something going around with... mums.. you know." Ron swallowed, hurriedly looking down at his glass.

"He knows that we know, Ron, I told him yesterday." I said, nearly laughing at his lame excuse.

"Oh, right. Good. That coulda been awkward." He swallowed again, smiling sheepishly at Hermione who was glaring at him.

Draco chuckled into his glass as he took another sip of butterbeer.

"She's alright, thank you for asking." He said, wiping foam off his upper lip with his delicate thumb. "How's your family?"

"M-my family? Oh yeah, we're great. Mum's birthday is coming up soon. That'll be fun. Percy's even coming over all the way from America! He was there talking to the American President with the Minister of Magic."

Draco's eyebrows raised. "Wow, that's impressive. No one in my family's ever done anything like that."

Ron's face turned red. "Well.. Yeah.." He said, drowning himself in butterbeer.

I nudged Draco's leg with mine under the table. He looked over at me and I smiled at him. He winked, much more attractively than I ever could, his eyes crinkling up into a smile afterwards.

"So, any of you have something in mind that you need here?" Draco asked us, taking another sip of his drink.

I shook my head, looking over at Ron and Hermione.

"Well, I need to go to Dervish and Banges to get a book I read about in Charms, but nothing other than that." Hermione said, looking down at a piece of parchment she had in her hand. "You?" She asked Draco.

"I'd quite like to go and see that joke shop everyone's always talking about. Maybe go over to Galdrags as well."

"Oy, I need to go there, too. Think you can help me pick out something for my mum's birthday? You've got good taste." Ron said, looking at him eagerly.

"Sure, no problem, Ron." Draco replied.

"Phew. Last year Fred and George got mum a new apron and all new fancy cooking supplies, so I need to get her something really good this year."

"I think I know something she'd like." Draco said with a grin.

Ron looked at him confused, then back at me. I shrugged and frowned, wondering what on earth Draco could be thinking of. Up until about two months ago I'd assumed that he thought the Weasley family were utter scum. I looked up at Draco and saw him smiling into his mug as he finished off his butterbeer.

"What do you say, Weasley. Trust me?" He said, looking at Ron innocently.

Ron choked on his butterbeer. "TRUST yo-" Hermione kicked him under the table. "Y-yeah.. yeah.. lets go." Ron finished off his glass, standing up. When Ron turned around, Draco jumped at him, making Ron squeak in fright. Ron looked back at me nervously as they walked out the door.

"Think he'll be alright?" Hermione said, trying to fight her laughter.

"Yeah, he's in good hands."

* * *

After Hermione and I had finished our drink, we went over to Dervish and Banges for the book she needed. I looked around for any medical books that I could find, landing on one called A Cure For Anything Hermione and I left, walking over to Galdrags to find Draco and Ron.

"MALFOY, YOU SLIMY GIT!"

"Uh oh." Hermione said, looking at me.

I heard the sound of Draco's laughter as I hurried across the shop, following their voices.

"Get OFF- GET OFF ME!" Ron shouted again.

I couldn't find my way around the coat rack which was separating me from them. I shoved my arms between the coats, sliding through. I heard Hermione's laugher right as I reached the other side.

"HARRY! HELP!" Ron called when he saw me emerge from the coats.

Draco and Hermione were doubled in laughter, and when I looked at Ron, I knew why.

He was fighting off a particularly hideous scarf as it tried to rub against his face. I looked over at Draco, who held his hands up and shook his head innocently, looking back at Ron and laughing again.

"That's IT!" Ron said as he pulled out his wand, pointing at the scarf that had now curled itself around his eyes and was sliding around, making his hair go frizzy.

"Ron no!" Hermione said through her laughter. "You'll hurt yourself. It's just a Parf, all you have to do is stroke the lace." She walked over to him, stroking the lace which was on the outer border of the scarf. It fell off of Ron's face and onto the floor. Ron stepped back, pointing his wand at it.

"Why the bloody hell'd you do that, Malfoy!" Ron asked angrily.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, you're the one that touched it." Draco said, still smiling.

"What is that thing, anyway!" Ron said, looking at it angrily as Hermione picked it up.

"It's a Parf, Ronald. A scarf with the actions of a dog? I'm surprised you've never seen one." Hermione answered, setting the Parf on the table. It curled up into a little circle, the end of it lifting up to look at us.

"Well thats a bleedin' scary dog, then! The thing was attacking me!" Ron said, his voice getting higher with each word.

Draco let out a muffled laugh, which made Hermione start laughing.

"Oy it isn't funny!" Ron said, his face getting red. He looked at me for help. I bit my lip, fighting back laughter. Rons face broke into an embarrassed smile. "Alright, alright. Maybe it was a little funny." He admitted.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"Well come on then, can't be in here all day can we?" Ron said, glaring at the Parf, who lifted it's end up to watch us leave.

* * *

"So what'd you end up getting your mum?" I asked Ron as we walked back up to the castle.

"Monogrammed knitting needles." Ron said happily, holding up a small case. "Goblin made."

"Wow, Ron. Aren't those a bit.. pricy?" Hermione asked, looking at the small box.

Ron shook his head. "Malfoy's a friend of Galdrag's. Got a discount. Only a galleon." Ron said, putting the small box back in his pocket.

I looked over at Draco, who's ears had gone slightly pink.

"How'd you know that Ron's mum knits?" I asked, curiously.

"Well It's hard to miss those sweaters you two get every Christmas." Draco said with a smile.

Ron stopped and turned around, poking a finger in Draco's chest, his face red. Draco stopped in his tracks.

"Now you listen here Malfoy, those sweaters are-!"

"Ron!" Hermione said, grabbing his arm. "He didn't mean it in a bad way you thickhead!"

She hit his shoulder and Ron blushed, stuttering an apology.

After Draco got over the shock of Ron's sudden charge, he laughed a little and patted Ron's shoulder awkwardly. "No worries, just a misunderstanding." He said, smiling. Ron kept his head down, avoiding Hermione's glare. Suddenly Ron perked up.

"You know, Malfoy, err.. well if you wanted too.. My family's having a little gathering for my mum's birthday. If you er.. wanted to come.." Ron trailed off, tugging on his scarf awkwardly.

"Oh! Uh yeah, yeah, that'd be lovely. Are you sure that it would be alright if I came? I don't want to ruin everything. You know, with my dad and your dad..." Draco's ears were bright red.

I nearly laughed at how awkward this was. I noticed that Hermione was paying especially close attention to the ground, chewing on her lip. She glanced at me, smiling and clasping her hand to her mouth, looking down at her shoes.

"Right... Right.. well... I don't think its that big of an issue, see, cause you're with Harry now and well, Harry's part of the family so.. if you're with him then... I'm sure its fine."

I felt my face heat up. I still wasn't used to having a real family. As much as I've been in their home, and as much love as Mrs. Weasley has given me, it sometimes doesn't feel real. I looked at Ron as he cleared his throat and glanced at Draco nervously, feeling the warmth of his friendship, yet again.

I tore my eyes from Ron as Draco held my hand. "Is it alright with you if I tag along?"

"Of course. I'd love it if you came." I smiled up at him. He kissed my forehead, turning to say something to Ron.

I watched as he laughed at Ron's reply, his head tilting back slightly and his eyes scrunching up. Hermione went over and wrapped her arm around Ron's torso, obviously cold. He wrapped his arm around her as he continued to talk to Draco about what Percy was doing in America. I smiled down at my feet as we walked, taking in the comfort of our day. I hoped it would always be like this. The four of us, going out for a butterbeer or maybe some lunch, spending time in whatever town we wanted. The thought of having any sort of future with Draco made my heart skip a beat. Damn, I love him.

* * *

When we got back up to the common room, there was a piece of parchment tacked to the poster board.

"Occupation Counseling will be held in Headmistress McGonagall's chambers. Please see appointment dates and times below."

There was a long list of names, dates, and times, which I flicked my eyes down. My first session was Wednesday, the next was the 14th. I sighed, walking over to sit at our regular place in the common room.

Ron sat down on the couch, crossing his arms. "McGonagall booked me twice as much as Hermione. How many days did you get?" He asked me.

"Two for this month." I replied, which apparently sparked his anger.

"WHAT? Two!? How come he's only got two when I've got 6?" He asked Hermione as she sat down on the floor in front of us.

She shrugged. "Well, I've only got three. How many do you have Draco?"

"Three." He said, kissing my forehead as he sat down in a chair next to us.

"Bloody hell! Even Malfoy's only got three, why's it I always-" Ron was cut off by a loud Groan from Neville.

"Every day for two weeks!" He slammed his forehead on the poster board.

"Alright.. well at least I haven't got it as bad as Neville. Poor guy." Ron said as he looked over at him again. He was now walking up the stairs slouchily. Ron shook his head, half bemused, half sympathetic.

"Well, I expect Harry only has two because he already knows that he wants to be. As for me, I'm not sure, but I want to actually make a difference. Maybe I should work for the Ministry of Magic, that would be nice, wouldn't it?" She asked cheerily, looking over at Ron.

He looked slightly green. "Well at least you're good at something! What is there for me? Bleeding wizards chess champion?" He sighed sadly, looking at his hands as if he were holding something very delicate. "I've got nothing." He said in a squeaky voice.

"That's not true, Ron, you've got.. you're very brave.. you're a very good.." Hermione had grabbed his hand and was trying to come up with something Ron was particularly good at. I stuttered along, trying to reassure him. Of course Ron was good at something, he was one of the best guys around.

"Well you're bloody good at catching bad wizards, aren't you? Good at Quidditch, regardless of the songs I created for you. You're not too bad at dueling if you held up against Harry for so long. Maybe an Auror?"

The three of us had all turned to gape at Draco, Ron included.

"What?" He asked innocently.

We turned and looked at each other, Ron swallowed hard and raised his eyebrows

"Well bloody hell, mate." Ron said, breaking the silence. "Maybe you should be an Occupations Counselor."

Draco chuckled, "I was just listing observations, that's all."

"Well done." Ron said, clearing his throat. "What are you gonna try and be, Malfoy? A-?" Suddenly he stopped talking, pretending like he hadn't begun another sentence. I had no doubt in my mind that he was about to say "A death eater?"

Draco shrugged and looked into the fire. "Never really thought about it I suppose. I'll find something." He smiled at us, then inhaled deeply and stretched his arms. "I think I'm going to head up and shower. You coming?" He asked me as he stood.

"I'll be up in a minute." I replied.

He nodded, bending down to kiss me. "See you in a bit, love. Night, Hermione. Ron. Had a nice time today." He said, smiling down at them as he passed.

"Night, Draco."

"Night, Malfoy."

They called, as he began to climb the stairs. I watched until his feet were no longer in view.

"Bloody hell." Ron said. I looked over at him and he was also watching where Draco had just been.

"I know, right?" Hermione said, looking up at him.

"What?" I said, confused.

"Well he's not even Malfoy anymore! He's- He's... He's Draco." Ron said, leaning back against the couch and looking at Hermione who was nodding.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, having no idea what they meant.

"Well you know, Malfoy was a slimy git for what? 'Bout 7 years? Suddenly he's nice and complimenting me and calling me Ron."

Hermione nodded, as if this made any sense at all.

"I told you, he's different now. It's simply amazing." Hermione said, looking back at the stairs.

"What are you two on about?" I asked, completely lost.

"Well, we aren't around him as much as you are. Even though I talk to him all the time about different books and things, I guess it still hasn't sunk in that Draco is Malfoy." Hermione said.

"Sooo.. You're saying that... you view him as a different person?" I asked, trying to decode her words.

"Yeah, I suppose. It's just a little odd, you know? I could never see Draco calling me a filthy little mudblood, but I know that he did. I just... don't connect that to how he is now. It's hard to explain." Hermione said, playing with the hem of her jeans.

"I think I understand." I replied, realizing what she was trying to say. Sometimes I forget how much of a pain Draco used to be, and all the bad things he's done to us. I know that those things were done simply because of how he was raised, and he didn't fully understand the consequences or reality of his actions, but it still hurt back then.

"He's just lovely now, though. Just lovely." She said, smiling up at me and nodding her head.

I gave her a small smile. "Yeah, he is." I replied, a yawn emerging from my mouth.

Hermione and Ron yawned in retaliation, laughing.

"I supposed we should go to bed then?" Hermione said, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted. It's that Bloody scarf dog that did me in, I tell you. Devilish thing." Ron replied exasperated.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "It's a Parf, Ron, they're completely harmless. You just overreacted."

"Overreacted?! The thing nearly bit my head off!" He stood up, looking offended.

"Alright, Ronald." Hermione said, kissing him goodnight before she headed off to her room.

He seemed to lighten up after the kiss, walking with me up the stairs.

"Almost killed me, it did." He said, grabbing the handle of his door on the first floor, pushing it open. "Night, Harry." he called as he shut the door.

"Night." I said, making my way up the rest of the two flights.

I pushed the door open, finding an empty room. I changed into my pajamas, sliding under our silky covers. I had just closed my eyes when I heard the door open and shut quietly. Draco changed soundlessly. I could see his shadow through my eyelids. He slid into bed, barely disturbing the sheets. I felt the warmth of his skin as he scooted next to me, gently kissing the side of my forehead.

"Goodnight, my love." He whispered, a drop of water falling from his hair onto my cheek. I heard him lay his head down on his pillow and a smile spread across my face.

* * *

The next few days were as average as ever. I had been dreading my first meeting with McGonagall, wondering if I really did want to become an Auror. I knew that everyone was expecting me to be a dark wizard hunter, as that is basically what I always have been. As everyone always reminds me, I DID take down the darkest wizard of all time, along with the 8 other bits of his soul.

I was in the common room, sitting in a chair by the fire. It was well past midnight, but I couldn't sleep, due to worrying about meeting with McGonagall. I wondered what her reaction would be when I told her that I wasn't sure of my future as an Auror. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

Draco had said that he wanted to go see Thorfinn Rowle on Saturday and we had planned to have tea in Madam Puddifoot's beforehand, so at least I had that to look forward to. As the last few cinders of the fire died, I decided that it was time to go to bed.

I walked up the stairs slowly. I opened the door to my room, sliding in and shutting it silently behind me. Draco was laying on his back, his hand outstretched to my half of the bed. I smiled a little at his position, walking over to him and sitting down on the bed beside him. He opened his eyes sleepily before I touched him.

"Hey." he said groggily. "Where've you been?"

"Downstairs. Couldn't sleep." I smiled down at him, kissing his forehead.

He inhaled deeply as he scooted over, tugging on the sheets beneath me. He pulled them up, outstretching his arm.

I laid down and curled up next to him, shivering at the warmth that enveloped me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, pressing my back into his warm chest.

"Night, Potter." He said, kissing the back of my ear and plopping his head down on the pillow.

"Night, Draco." I replied, smiling into the warm covers he had wrapped around me.

It was always easier to fall asleep with his arms around me.

* * *

I awoke the next day, still cocooned in Draco's arms. I pressed my face into his chest, inhaling deeply. He smelled like a sweet thunderstorm.

I stretched out my legs, sliding off the bed and standing up. I grabbed my towel from out of my trunk and made my way to the washroom. I changed out of my clothes, tossing them on the bench and stepped into the shower. I turned the water on, lowering the temperature as scalding water streamed down my chest. I cursed myself for always turning it on the wrong way. After the water had reached a reasonable temperature, I stepped forward and tilted my head back, letting the water stream down my face, into my ears, and through my hair.

I nearly inhaled water when I felt someones hand touch my back. I coughed, rubbing the water out of my eyes.

It was Draco. I pushed against his chest. "Bloody hell, you scared me." I said, smiling at how messy his hair was. He had clearly just woken up.

"Apologies." He said, shutting the shower curtain behind him. I moved over, letting him step in the stream of water. I watched how his graceful hands pushed his hair back off of his smooth face. The water which streamed on him made him look like a glass sculpture. The muscles in his back were moving underneath his pale skin as he rubbed his face.

He reached over and grabbed my shampoo off the rack, squirting some into his hands. He rubbed his hands together, his grey eyes sparkling as he looked at me. He stepped forward, pushing his hands through my hair and rubbing the shampoo in with his strong fingers. My eyes closed slightly as I enjoyed the sensation. I felt Draco start to pull the hairs on top of my head, and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was smiling, practically laughing.

"You know, you really should get a mohawk. I think you could pull it off." He let out a small laugh, biting his lip as he continued to pull my hair up into a point over my head.

I smiled and rolled my eyes, wrapping my arms around his torso. I kissed him, feeling the smile still on his lips. His fingers knotted into my hair as he kissed me back, sliding one hand down to rest on my shoulder. I left a few small kisses on his lips.

When I pulled away, he was smiling wider, his eyes wrinkling up the way they always did when he smiled at me. I turned and stepped under the water, letting my shampoo wash out of my hair. I inhaled, cherishing the familiar scent that reminded me of the burrow. Draco kissed the back of my shoulder, sending a chill down my spine.

I poured shampoo into my hands and rubbed them together like he had. Propping my elbows up on his strong shoulders, I pushed my fingers through his silky hair, massaging his scalp. His eyes closed lazily and his head tilted back a little, a sleepy smirk spreading across his lips. I kissed the base of his neck gently, sliding my hands down to his shoulders and rubbing the shampoo across his chest and arms. He watched me as I did this, a sleepy smile still on his face. He stepped backwards into the shower stream, letting his arms hang by his sides. I watched as the suds of shampoo ran down his body.

He ran his hands through his hair one final time before turning the water off. He kissed my forehead as he reached past me to tug the curtain open.

We missed breakfast, but it was worth it.

* * *

After an hour and a half of Snape's voice dragging on, he finally dismissed class. Draco walked over to me as he usually did when it was time to leave, but I told him I'd catch up with him. He wrinkled his eyebrows, but didn't ask why I was staying, giving me a kiss on the forehead and a curious glance over his shoulder as he left.

I walked up to Snape's desk, his beady eyes examining me.

"Yes?" He said, crossing his arms.

"Professor, I was just wondering.. are there any potions that can heal a serious illness?"

He pursed his lips and squinted his eyes at me.

"That would be a question for a potions master, don't you think?" He said, coldly.

"Um.. yes, but.. he's a new teacher and I don't know him as well.. so I was wondering if you would know of something? I've looked all through the library, but haven't found anything."

He sighed sharply, "Fine, Potter. What kind of illness do you speak of?"

"Erm.. well I don't exactly know."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Potter, how do you expect me to help you if you don't know what needs fixing?"

"Well.. Is there a general healing potion that would help most sicknesses?"

His black eyes studied me for a moment. "What do you need this potion for? Who is ill?"

I could swear there was a hint of concern in his voice.

"Um.." I said, not knowing if I should tell him. "I can't tell you."

"Then I can't help you."

I rubbed the back of my neck, weighing my options.

"It's Draco's mum. She's sick, but no one at St. Mungo's knows how to fix it."

"Narcissa?" He asked, his arms unfolding. Clearly, he was disturbed from this information.

I nodded, hoping he would help me.

He crossed his arms again. "If the mediwizards and witches of St. Mungo's can't help her, neither can you, Potter."

I shifted my bag on my shoulder, waiting. I could see something in his eyes, as if he wanted to tell me something.

"Well?" He asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to be late?"

"Yeah. Thanks, professor." I turned around, walking to the door. I heard the swish of his robes and I knew he had stepped away from his portrait. The entire way to Herbology I wondered if there was something he was holding back.

* * *

I trudged up to McGonagall's office after lunch, dreading the upcoming meeting. I stopped and stared at the gargoyle for what seemed like hours, not wanting to face her. Eventually, with a resigned sigh, I uttered, "Albus." and the gargoyle jumped aside.

I knocked on the door three times, and the door creaked open.

"You're late, Potter." McGonagall said, her back turned to me.

"Sorry, I um.. Forgot the password." I replied, sitting down in the chair across from her desk.

She turned around, her eyebrows raised. She pointed to a large green book sitting on her desk. A Young Wizards Guide to Basic Auror Training.

I picked up the massive book, setting it down on my lap and opening it.

"So, Mr. Potter. Have you thought anymore into your future as an auror?" She asked, sitting down at her desk.

I shook my head, turning the page.

"Do you wish to be an auror at the Ministry of Magic, or do you think you would prefer a less professional position?"

I shrugged, not knowing what the difference was. "Either is fine I suppose." I replied, looking down at a sketch of a basic shielding spell.

"Mr. Potter." McGonagall said sternly.

I looked up at her, she was looking down at me over her glasses. "Is there something on your mind?" she said, her eyes analyzing me.

I shook my head. "No." I said, unsure of why I didn't want to tell her that I didn't want to be an auror anymore.

Her green eyes scanned my face, as if reading a book. She nodded slightly, leaning back in her chair.

"Have a biscuit, Potter."

"What?" I didn't remember seeing a plate of biscuits before, but there they were upon her desk. I took one and held it in my lap. McGonagall glanced down at it and then up at me, I took this as a sign that she wanted me to eat it. I took a bite off the edge, the sweetness of it spreading through my mouth.

She sat there quietly observing me eat my biscuit. Strangely, it didn't feel like she was trying to get me to talk, rather she was only waiting for me to come up with the words I needed to say.

After I had finished the biscuit, I closed the book that was in my lap and put it back on her desk. "I don't want to be an auror." I said, confidently.

She nodded, as if she had known this all along. "Why not?"

I took a deep breath, thinking. "I just.. feel that.. I've had enough of dark wizard hunting for a whole lifetime. It's not something I want to do for the rest of my life."

"I see. And what is it that you do want to do?"

I shook my head, smoothing out the sleeve of my robe. "I don't know, professor."

She nodded. "What makes you happy, Mr. Potter?" She asked, bringing her hands up and pushing her fingers into a point in front of her face.

My mind immediately went to Draco. Draco made me happy. "Um.." I said, trying to think of something else that could be an occupation. "Quidditch?" I said, looking at her.

"Understandable. Would you like to be a professional Quidditch player? Or perhaps manage a team?"

I pictured myself playing for the Hollywood Harpies, soaring through the air and grabbing a snitch. Or packing up a truck for a world tour. It seemed nice, but was that really something I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing?

"Well... No. I don't think so, anyways."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "What has been your favorite class here at Hogwarts?"

I thought about it for a while, thinking back to all my classes. Potions was fun, but the 5 years in which it was taught by Snape sort of ruined the whole experience for me. I remembered Remus Lupin and the short year I had with him as my teacher. My mind wandered back to teaching those in Dumbledore's army during the reign of Umbridge at Hogwarts. "Defense Against the Dark Arts." I said, realizing that is also something a future Auror would say.

"Why?"

"Uh.." I said again, feeling her gaze on me. "Because.. I'm good at it?" I said, questioning my reasons.

"Is that the only reason? You are skilled at many things, Mr. Potter. What makes this stand out?"

"Well.. I guess it's because I'm good at teaching it to people?" I said, remembering the long days in the room of requirement.

"Aha." She said, smiling at me as if I had just had an epiphany.

"What?" I said, then I remembered I said 'teaching'. "Wait, you can't be thinking.. Me? A teacher?" I thought of all people, McGonagall would be the one most likely to oppose that development. "You can't be serious, professor. I mean nobody would hire me!" At this she raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Well- Okay I guess they would, since I'm Harry Potter and everything, but that's ridiculous. No way." I said, shaking my head.

She continued to look at me, not saying anything. Suddenly she inhaled, standing up. "It seems that you might need a little more time to think about your occupational future. Your next meeting is a week from today, correct?" I nodded, standing and putting her book back on her desk.

"I will see you then. On time." She said, looking at me over her spectacles.

I nodded, walking toward the door. Just as I was about to close the door, she spoke.

"Oh, and Potter?" She said. I peeked back around the door to look at her. "Do consider it. I think you would make a fine teacher." She smiled and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Professor." I said, smiling briefly and closing the door, making my way over to the staircase. There was no way I was going to be a teacher. Not a chance.

* * *

I made my way up to the common room to find Ron sitting on the couch.

"Where's Hermione?" I asked him, wanting to share my experience of the meeting.

"Hogsmeade I think. Had to get a scarf or somethin. How'd the meeting with McGonagall go?" He asked, leaning forward as I sat down.

I told him what happened, and he nodded understandingly when he learned McGonagall had suggested I become a teacher.

"Well it's mental, isn't it! Me? A teacher?" I said, laughing a little.

"It's not, actually. I mean you taught all of us, bloody well, I might add. What's so crazy about it? I mean other than us always breaking the rules and everything." Ron said, shrugging.

Before I could reply I felt a gentle kiss on the top of my head. I turned around to see Draco sitting in the chair next to me.

"How'd the conference go, love?" He asked, opening a book on his lap and looking at me.

"Well she wants me to be a teacher of all things. I'm gonna have to talk to some sense into her next week."

"Why? I think that would be a great job for you." he said as he put his wire rimmed spectacles on the bridge of his nose.

I gaped at him. "You think so too?"

He glanced at Ron, who was nodding profusely. "Yeah, why not? You'd make a bloody good one."

I leaned back on the couch in resignation, shaking my head.

We sat there making small conversation until supper. Hermione wasn't there, but I wanted to talk to her and ask her what she thought about it. She's always been able to help me make up my mind.

I sat in the common room waiting for Hermione to get back from Hogsmeade. I mean honestly, how long should buying a scarf take?

I laid down on the couch, propping my head up on the arm of it like Ron does. It was surprisingly comfortable. I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the fire crackling beside me.

* * *

I heard the crisp sound of silver on glass. I opened my eyes to find my self looking down at the great hall. The 8th year table was gone. I looked to my right, seeing that I was sitting at the professor's table. McGonagall was standing up, tapping her glass with her spoon.

"Good evening everyone. I hope your journey here has been eventful and pleasant. Before we begin the feast, I would like to point out two new changes in staff. As your new Herbology teacher, we have Professor Neville Longbottom." I heard rustling next to me and I looked to my left to see Neville in proper wizarding robes standing next to me. He looked older, and more confident. As he sat down he smiled widely at me. I smiled back, glad that he finally got to do something he loved.

"As your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Harry Potter." My head snapped in McGonagall's direction. What did she just say?

"Stand up, Harry!" Neville whispered next to me.

I stood, looking across the vast sea of whispering faces. Some were clapping, some were staring motionless.

Suddenly I was standing behind Snape's desk, there were about 20 kids in the room. They looked like 4th years. They were all looking down and reading from textbooks. There was one boy who was staring at me. When I looked at him, he raised his hand. I began to walk toward him, "How can I help you?" I asked as I reached his desk.

"Is it true that you're the one who killed Voldemort?" He asked, causing the other kids in the room to look up at me.

I began to spin around on the spot, their faces floating up around me. I stopped spinning and landed in a seat in the middle of a room with tall windows and black marble floors. I was in Malfoy manor.

"Sugar?" I jumped, seeing that Draco was in the chair next to me.

"Please." I said, jumping again at the sound of Narcissa's voice.

"I can't believe they hired you. That school really is falling to pieces." She said.

I looked at Draco who was nodding in agreement. "Even worse than when Dumbledore was headmaster."

"Don't mention that name in my house." The voice of Lucius Malfoy struck me, and suddenly I was standing. Lucius was kneeling on the ground chained to the wall in the hallway. I walked toward him. His skin was grey, his eyes deep in their sockets.

"Harry Potter." He said venomously. "The boy who lived." He scoffed, leaning forward and making his chains tug against the wall. "You ruined my life!" he cried angrily. "You will never be good enough for my son. NEVER!" he said, standing up. "NEVER!" he repeated, running towards me. I stepped back, tripping over the carpet as he bounded forward, his chains ripping from the wall.

I sat up with a start, cold sweat dripping down my face. My hair was damp, and my heart was pounding. I looked around me. I was laying on the couch in the pitch black darkness of the 8th year common room. A few cinders still alight in the fire pit. I took a few deep breaths, trying to relax. It was only a dream.

"Harry?"

I fell off the couch and onto the floor, scrambling to my feet and looking around me wildly, images of Lucius Malfoy flashing before my eyes.

"Harry, what are you doing?" It was Hermione's voice. I searched around for her, seeing her near the wall on the other side of the room.

I exhaled, pressing my hand to my chest. "Bloody hell, Hermione."

"Sorry." She said, walking over and pointing her want to ignite the fire. "What are you doing up?" She asked, guiding me to sit back down on the couch.

"I was waiting for you." I said, my heart still pounding.

"For me?" She asked, sitting next to me. "Why?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. I need advice." I said, finally calming down. "I don't want to be an Auror." I said, watching her reaction. She nodded, letting me continue. "I told McGonagall and she thinks it'd be a good idea for me to be a teacher."

She continued looking at me, not saying anything.

"Well?" I said, urging her to say something.

"I don't understand what you're asking? Are you saying you don't want to be a teacher?"

"I mean.. I don't know. I've never considered it before."

"Well, Harry, you basically are a teacher. You singlehandedly taught a class of nearly 30 people, and did a brilliant job. You'd be great." She said, smiling and nudging my arm.

"Thanks, Hermione." I said, smiling at her. I don't know what it is, but hearing confirmation from Hermione always made things better.

We sat up talking about the DA, laughing at memories. It was good to talk to Hermione. I rarely got to see her alone. I always felt better when she and I talked. She's always so calm and sure of everything, it makes life seem less complicated.

"So, when's your meeting?" I said, after our laughter had died down.

"Thursday." She said, fanning her face, which was now red from laughter.

"Thursday? That's tomorrow, you know?" I asked. Her face immediately went pale.

"WHAT?" She pulled out her wand, reading something off the edge. "Oh my God!" She said, standing up abruptly. "I haven't even researched anything! Oh no! I have to go!" She said, kissing my forehead and running off up the stairs.

I smiled and shook my head. Typical Hermione. I walked up the stairs quietly, creeping into my room and changing quietly. Laying down on my side of the bed, I looked over at Draco's angular face. He had one arm laid out toward me, and I reached my hand over, tracing circles in the palm of his smooth hands. His fingers twitched slightly, but he did not awaken.

I remembered what dream Lucius had said. "You will never be good enough for my son." I could practically hear his cold voice.

I withdrew my hand from Draco's palm, suddenly feeling like I shouldn't touch him. Am I good enough for him? I thought about his massive house and his posh clothes. I didn't even know how to eat the same way he does, let alone live the way he does. I turned over, not wanting to think about it. My stomach felt like it was being squeezed. What if I really wasn't good enough for him? He's going to break up with me when he realizes he could do better. I'm just a stupid boy who lived in a broom cupboard for 11 years of his life.

As if in response to my thoughts, I felt warm arms wrap around my waist and a kiss on the back of my head. I smiled and closed my eyes, sure that I wouldn't have anymore bad dreams tonight.


	12. Earl Grey

Friday in Herbology, we checked the maturity of our mandrakes. Drarry had now managed to get into Robyn's (Ron and Hermione's Mandrake's) pot.

"Alright everyone! If you would please line the plants up against this table here." Professor Sprout shouted across the classroom.  
It took four people to slide a single pot across the room to where Professor Sprout wanted them. After about 5 minutes of us struggling, we went back to our seats, out of breath.

"Thank you, dears." Professor sprout called, eyeing the plants. "Yes, I think these will make excellent batch of Drought."

Even though all of us knew our Mandrakes would become a potion, there were still many groans and sad faces. I think we had all become attached to our mandrakes.

We all walked out of the class sluggishly, making our way to the great hall.

Everyone at the 8th year table in the great hall was silent as we ate our food. Cho and Neville looked particularly sad, probably because of how much time and effort they had put into growing their mandrake.

After we had finished lunch, Ron, Draco and I walked up to the common room. Hermione had gone to the library to work on an essay for Snape. I told her that I'd be up there in a few hours. I wasn't quite prepared to go on a 2 roll parchment long tangent about occlumency.

I sat down on the couch, pulling out a book about animagi. Draco had laid down on the couch, resting his lead against my leg. I stroked his hair mindlessly as I read.

* * *

I didn't realized I had drifted off until I was startled by Hermione tossing her books down on the floor.

I jumped slightly, rousing Draco. His grey eyes fluttered open sleepily.

"Sorry." Hermione said, looking at me guiltily.

I rubbed my face, stretching my arms. "No worries. I need to get started on that essay anyways. What time is it?"

"About nine."

"NINE?" I asked, looking out the window. It was now dark. I let my head fall back against the couch. Great.

Draco sat up and stretched his long arms, yawning.

I picked up my book from the floor, shoving it into my bag. "I have to go to the library to do my paper for Snape. Have you already done yours?" I asked Draco. He nodded sleepily, rubbing his eye. Damn he was adorable.

"Okay well, I'll see you later then. Goodnight, love." I said, pecking him on the lips as I made my way out the door.

The hallways were silent, only the sound of my shoes hitting the ground echoing through the hall. The library was completely empty. Not a single person amongst the rows of books. It was eerie, as if the entire school had gone on holiday.

I walked through the rows, tugging out books with Occlumency in the chapter and stacking them on the table. I opened them all, pulling out my parchment and beginning to write. I tried not to think about a few years ago when I had gone into the mind of Severus Snape, the very person I was writing this essay for.

After what seemed like forever, I had finished one and a half pages of parchment, which was going to have to be good enough because I only had fifteen minutes until curfew and I needed to get back up to the common room. I flicked my wand, making the books go back to their shelves, shoving my homework into my rucksack. My book about animagi fell out of my bag, and I picked it up, thumbing through it as I made my way back up to the common room.

"Harry?"

I looked up from my book to see Ginny standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, confused.

"What do you mean? This is _my_ common room, you know. What are _you_ doing here?" She replied.

I looked around. I had been mindlessly walking to the Gryffindor common room. I exhaled sharply, slamming my book shut and shoving it into my bag.

"Bloody hell, I've walked to the wrong room. What time is it?" I asked her as she suppressed a giggle at my stupidity.

"Nearly 11." She said, shaking her head at me.

I sighed, throwing up my hands.

"I wouldn't worry about it, the castle's practically vacant." She said, shrugging and stepping into the doorway as the fat lady swung forward.

I sighed, walking down the stairs. My eyes landed on the third floor landing and I thought back to when Hermione, Ron and I were in our first year and we had come across fluffy. That lead to my first confrontaion with Voldemort. My first encounter with the mirror of erised. I remembered Dumbledore and how he claimed to have seen a pair of fuzzy socks in the mirror. I smiled at his quirkiness. I wondered where it would be now. I looked around me, no one to be seen. The clock chimed 11 in the distance.

Making my decision, I made my way to a familiar unused classroom, happily seeing a tall object covered by a long sheet. I walked up to it slowly, wondering what I would see in the mirror this time. I grabbed the sheet, taking a deep breath before I pulled it off.

The sheet hit the floor in a cloud of dust. I stared down as the dust settled, daring myself to look up. My eyes traveled along the outer edge of the mirror. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." was inscribed in the Gold.

Slowly, my eyes dropped down to my reflection. I was surprised to see only myself standing there. I had expected the sight of my parents, but it was just me. I waved my hand, and my reflection waved back. I sighed.

"It's broken." I said aloud. There was no other explanation. I picked up the sheet, throwing it over the top. I looked at it for a moment, considering ripping the sheet off once more to give it another try.

I turned around, resigned, and walked out the door, headed to the correct common room.

* * *

I walked in our bedroom door to see Draco asleep at the table next to the window. He had his head propped up on his fist, as if he were looking out the window. There was a cup of tea on the table in front of him, half gone.

I changed silently, and then walked over to him. I knelt down, putting my hand on his knee and resting another on his shoulder. He inhaled sharply, his eyes opening. He blinked a few times, and then looked at me.

"Hey." He said, smiling.

"Hey." I said, kissing his cheek and pushing his hair behind his ear.

"How's the essay?" He said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Nearly finished. Might add a few things to it in the morning."

He nodded, recoiling at the tea and then waving his wand to heat it up.

"Tea?" He asked, taking another sip.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just write a few more things on my essay before I go to sleep."

He flicked his wand, conjuring a cup of tea for me. I kissed his forehead as I stood, pulling out my quill and parchment. I took a sip, it already had sugar in it. I glanced across the table at him, his eyes were crinkled up into a smile and he winked at me over his cup.

I smiled and scribbled down a few paragraphs onto my parchment. I sighed as I rolled it up, tossing it near my bag.

I looked down at my tea, thinking about the mirror of erised. Why didn't it work? Had Dumbledore taken away its powers before he died? Was it someone else who broke it?

I was roused from my thoughts by Draco as he nudged my foot with his. I looked up at his handsome face. He was leaning forward, resting on his elbow with his chin in his hand. He had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up messily. His grey eyes looked blue as the moonlight hit them.

I shook my head, smiling. He was damn perfect.

"What?" He asked, lifting his head off his hand slightly.

"I love you." I said, watching his concerned face turn into a smile.

"I love you, too." He said, resting his head back down on his hand.

We sat there for a while in silence, sipping our tea. Our legs leaned against each other under the table comfortably.

We talked late into the night, our voices becoming low murmurs as the hours ticked by. When the first rays of pink were visible over the skyline, Draco stretched, and stood up, grabbing my hand and walking backwards to the bed. He slid his hands around my waist, leaning close as if he were going to kiss me. He paused, his grey eyes looking back and forth between mine. He planted a soft kiss on my nose, then on my lips. He leaned to his right, pulling me with him as he fell onto the bed. I tugged the duvet over us, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his forehead. He inhaled deeply, pressing his face into my chest and closing his eyes. His arms tightened around me, only beginning to slacken when he drifted to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to Draco kissing my forehead. My eyes fluttered open to see his handsome face in front of mine. He reached up and smoothed out my hair, smiling at me. We were still wrapped in our duvet, and it was creating a cave around us. I smiled and closed my eyes again as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him. He continued to stroke my hair and I began to fall asleep again, only to be brought back to consciousness by his gravely voice.

"When do you want to leave?" He asked quietly.

"Never." I said, burying my face in his chest and inhaling his sweet scent.

He chuckled softly. "Okay, love."

He kissed my forehead and I could feel him smiling. I smiled, too, knowing he'd make me get up eventually. I sighed, leaning back slightly to look up at him.

His eyes were all crinkly, as I knew they would be. I kissed his lips softly, rolling him over and putting my legs on either side of him. He sat up slowly, his hands sliding up my back.

I held his face in both of my hands as I kissed both of his cheeks, then his nose, then his forehead. I pulled away, seeing his eyes flutter open.

He smiled up at me, rubbing his hands up and down my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him. His strong arms wrapped around me, pressing me against him. I closed my eyes, feeling the safety which surrounded me.

Draco stood up, keeping me pressed against him. My feet were grazing the floor, but he didn't put me down. He rocked back and forth slowly, swaying like he did when he played the violin. I inhaled deeply, sliding my arms off his shoulders. He loosened his arms slightly, letting me stand. I pushed the hair off his forehead, kissing him again before I walked over to my trunk to pick out clothes.

I pulled out some jeans and a red sweater, digging to the bottom of my trunk to find gloves and a scarf.

After I had changed, I looked over at Draco, who was now pulling on his long black overcoat. He turned to face me, adjusting his collar. He was wearing his usual posh attire, shiny black shoes and all.

I smiled, exhaling and shaking my head.

"What?" He asked innocently.

I walked over to him and kissed him again. "Nothing." I said, taking his hand in mine. "Let's go."

He kissed the side of my head as we walked out of our room.

Once we stepped out of the doors we were struck by chilly October winds. I shivered, waving my wand to cast a warming charm on our clothes. Draco pulled his coat tight around his body, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and we walked down the path to Hogsmeade.

* * *

When we entered Madam Puddifoot's, I was happily surprised to see it nearly empty. The only people there were two couples, both over 20 and no one I would know. They stared at us when we came in, and I could feel their eyes on my back as I clumsily made my way to the table in front of the window. Draco had glided there gracefully, as if these narrow pathways were no problem.

When we sat down, I looked over at a couple near the other side of the restaurant. They were still staring at us. Draco saw where I was looking and turned around to look at them. They looked away immediately. As soon as he turned around they looked back at me. Draco saw my eyes look over there again and he turned around, this time more abruptly.

"Yes?" He called across the tea shop to them.

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at their shocked expressions. They turned away from us, muttering to each other. Draco exhaled sharply, facing me again.

"It's okay, I'm used to people staring." I said, smiling as I pulled off my gloves.

He shrugged off his coat, folding it neatly before hanging it off the back of his chair.

"Well it's rude, they should learn not to stare." He said, straightening the silverware on his half of the table.

I smiled down at my plate, blushing slightly at his defensiveness for me. Madam Puddifoot shuffled over.

"What'll you have, dears?" She asked, looking down at us.

"Earl grey, please." Draco said.

"I'll have the same, thank you." I said to her.

She grunted, beginning to turn away. Her eyes lingered on my face for a moment, glancing at Draco, then back at me. Finally, with a shrug, she began making her way through the cramped walkway.

"What was that about?" I said, looking at Draco.

He shrugged. "Maybe she just recognized us."

I nodded, playing with the end of my scarf.

I looked out the window toward the street, seeing an old couple walking out of their cottage. I recognized a cluster of adults from last weekend. Come to think of it, I've been here almost every weekend of the term so far. I laughed a little to myself, remembering when I couldn't get a permission form to come here.

"Might as well get a cottage down here, we visit so frequently." I laughed, speaking my thoughts out loud.

It wasn't until it came out of my mouth that I had realized what I said. I had just suggested to my boyfriend of two months that we live together. I blushed a furious shade of red, beginning to splutter out a reason as to why I said that.

"That would be nice." Draco interrupted, his ears going pink when I looked at him. He smiled at me as Madam Puddifoot set down our tea.

"Thank you." he said to her as she walked away.

He waved his hand, making our tea serve itself. I cleared my throat, a smile forming on my lips as I watched tea pour into my cup. Draco had just said he wanted to live with me.

Two cubes of sugar landed in my tea with a satisfying plop. Draco picked up his cup, blowing on it gently.

I took a sip of my tea, feeling as the hot liquid traveled down my throat and warmed my stomach. I closed my eyes, taking another sip and feeling the warmth of it.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Draco watching me. He quickly looked away, taking a sip of tea as his eyes wrinkled up into a smile. I blushed slightly, knowing that I was the reason behind it.

His first meeting with McGonagall would be on Monday, and though he said he wasn't nervous, I sensed that he was. He said that no one in his family had really had a job because of the money that was inherited from generation to generation. I thought about how much money that would be, to last so many generations and still be plentiful. Yikes.

After the last drops of tea were gone, Draco asked "What time is it?"

I looked at my watch. "Half two."

He nodded. "We should probably get going." He said, standing up and pulling on his jacket.

I yanked on my gloves and wrapped my scarf tightly around my neck.

It seemed colder now than it had when we went in. Draco wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close against the chilly wind. We walked down the sidewalk and into the dark alley where Rowle lived.

Draco knocked on the door twice, and then once more after a brief pause. After a minute or so, I saw a glint of light through the crack in the door, and Rintriata opened the door.

"Hello, loves!" She said, ushering us inside and giving us both warm hugs. This was unexpected, as I had only met her one other time, but it was very welcomed against the cold weather.

Her round stomach poked out very far, and I realized that she was, in fact, pregnant. "Come in, come in, we've just started lunch." She said, smiling widely and leading us down the tunnel to their living space.

* * *

Draco and I walked into the dining room behind Rintriata. I looked at Rowle, who was sitting in his usual spot at the far end of the table, and then to a girl who had her back facing us. Her hair was quite frizzy, almost like Hermione's.

In fact, it was exactly like Hermione's.

" _Hermione_?" Draco and I said at exactly the same time.

She stood up so quickly she almost knocked her chair over.

"H-Harry! Draco! What are you two doing here?" She said, trying to keep composure.

"What are _we_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?" I replied. "You didn't know we were coming?" I asked, looking at Rowle.

"I thought she knew you were comin'." Rowle said, shrugging.

"I- I was just having lunch. I thought you two were just going to Madam Puddifoot's?" Hermione said.

"We did. I thought _you_ were going to the library?"

"Well.. I- I did go. But then I came here." She said, twisting her hair around her fingers.

"You knew we were going to Hogsmeade, we could have waited for you."

"I know, I know.. Can I talk to you for a second? _Outside_?" She said, looking at me, widening her eyes.

I didn't get much chance to reply before she had grabbed my arm and was dragging me up the tunnel.

Hermione shut the door behind her once we got into the alley, wrapping her jacket around her against the cold breeze.

"Hermione why are you here? Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" I asked, becoming more confused by the minute.

"I've been coming here for a while, now. Twice a week. Sometimes I sleep over, but only if Flitwick lets me get out of Charms." Hermione said hurridly.

"Wh-?" She cut me off.

"Rowle's been teaching me magic I can use to help Narcissa Malfoy."

"WHAT?" I said, causing her to press a hand against my mouth.

"SHH I don't want Draco to hear."

I pulled her hand off my mouth. "What do you mean you don't want him to hear! It's his mum that you're doing magic on, don't you think you should tell him? And why on earth are you trying to help Narcissa Malfoy? Why do you care?"

She looked hurt. "Well.. I care because.. because Draco is part of our family now. You know.. you, me, and Ron. We are supposed to help and protect each other, and since he can't help his mum... I figured I would at least try." She said, looking teary and twisting her necklace around.

"Hermione.." I said, not knowing how to reply to this. I was overjoyed that she thought so highly of Draco, but concerned that she would get hurt by trying to do this kind of magic. "This is dangerous stuff. You saw the condition Draco was in, what if that happens to you?"

She shook her head. "Rowle said that it's only dangerous if you over use it, and I wont. I'll only use it for Narcissa, I promise. Just once."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Hermione this is ridiculous."

She continued looking at me hopefully. I gave a defeated sigh. "Well, I know I can't stop you. But you're going to have to tell Draco about this eventually."

"I'll tell him soon, I promise. Besides, I've almost got the spell down pat. It works kind of like a memory charm, and I do those pretty well. Nothing to worry about." She smiled, turning around and opening the door

I sighed again, shaking my head and following her inside. This was a bad idea.

* * *

We walked back into their cozy living room, and I shook my head when Draco looked at me questioningly as I sat down beside him. He watched me for a second before turning his attention away to answer a question Rintriata asked him.

Hermione and I began discussing her meeting with McGonagall and how she might look into forming a real organization for S.P.E.W.. Rintriata joined the conversation, and Hermione informed her about all the things she wanted to change about elf slavery.

"You know, Harry is thinking of becoming a teacher." Hermione said to Rintriata who squealed in delight.

"That would be wonderful! Maybe you'll wind up teaching this little one." She said patting her stomach.

"Yeah, that'd be great." I said, smiling. I imagined myself actually being in charge of the education of children. The thought seemed almost comical.

"Now Hermione. You've mentioned this Ron fellow quite a few times, are these the signs of a relationship?" Rintriata asked teasingly. Hermione blushed slightly and nodded.

Rowle grunted "Well, why don't you bring him 'round once in a while? Yer here often enough." He said laughing as he took a bite of his sandwich.

I saw Draco furrow his brow, and his lips parted, obviously about to ask what he was talking about.

"Draco! Um.." I said, trying to stop this awkward situation before it started. "Could you um.. pass the minced pies, please?"

His mouth closed, thankfully, and he picked up the platter of pies, letting me grab a few to put on my plate.

"Thank you." I said, smiling at him.

Hermione and Rintriata's conversation became audible again.

"...for abourt 8 years, but we only started dating last year." Hermione said, her blush deepening.

"I'd think you two were together a while before that, eh?" I said across the table to Hermione.

She shot me a wicked glare, which I returned with a smile. Draco rested his hand on my knee under the table. I looked at him and he was smiling. He leaned over and kissed the side of my head.

"What?" I asked, wondering if I had missed a conversation.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

I studied his expression for a moment, feeling the warmth of his hand on my knee. Rintriata got my attention, making me look away from him.

"Harry, dear, now tell me. Why is it you want to be a teacher? I'd think you'd want to go work in the ministry, wouldn't you?" She asked, pouring more pumpkin juice into my cup.

"Well, I thought so too, but I've recently been thinking about how much of my life has already been spent chasing other people, and I feel that teaching is something I'm good at. When McGonagall first suggested it, I thought she had gone mental, but-" My voice caught in my throat as Draco's hand began slowly sliding up my thigh. "Um.. but... I- I talked to.." I was having trouble making my mouth move as Draco's hand slid in between my legs. "I talked to H-Hermione and other friends who-" Draco squeezed my inner thigh slightly. My chest constricted, and i inhaled shakily. "Who all think it would be... be a um... a good option for me." I said, finally getting my sentence out.

I didn't hear anything Rintriata said in reply to this, as Draco's hand massaged the inside of my thigh, slowly working its way up. I realized that I was gripping my fork so tightly that it was starting to bend, and I set it down on the table. Rintriata turned to Hermione, giving me the opportunity to glare at Draco. He smiled back at me wickedly, his eyes glinting.

"...friendly. You'll be a great teacher." Rintriata finished, turning back to me.

I nodded and smiled, having not heard a single word she said.

The clock on the wall chimed 4 o' clock. "Oh that reminds me! Are you lot staying here? If so, I'll need to do some washing." Rintriata asked, looking at us happily.

I looked at Hermione who shrugged, looking at Draco.

He pouted his lips slightly as he though. "I mean, if it isn't too much of an imposition, and if it's alright with you, of course." He said, addressing Rowle.

"Yea o' course! Yer always welcome 'ere." He said, patting Draco on the back roughly.

Draco's ears turned pink as he thanked Rowle, removing his hand from my thigh to take a sip of his pumpkin juice.

* * *

After some lounging by the fire and a hearty dinner, we all got up, helping Rintriata clear the table and set the dishes to wash themselves. We made our way down the narrow hall, Draco pointed to the room in which he usually sleeps. It was a small room with green wallpaper, and carpets to match. The bed had a mismatched quilt lying over it which clashed with the walls.

I looked down the hall, seeing only one other door, which I assumed was Rowle and Rintriata's room.

"Wait so.. we are all sleeping in here?" I asked, looking at them.

She shrugged. "I suppose. I can sleep on the floor."

"Not bloody likely." I said in protest. "I'll be the one on the floor, you two can have the bed."

"What?" Draco said, looking bemused. "No offense, Hermione, honestly, but I think it would be better if you two were to share the bed."

"Why? What's wrong with me sleeping on the floor?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms.

Rintriata interrupted us, stopping near the doorway.

"Now, now you three what's all this fuss about?" She asked as if we were her bickering children.

"We were simply discussing sleeping arrangements. I don't mind sleeping on the floor, but do you happen to have an extra sheet lying around?" He asked, ignoring Hermione's objective grunt.

"I've got something better." She replied, smiling and taking out her wand. She pointed it at the bed, which turned into three very narrow ones.

"I've got to learn how to do that." Draco said, looking at the beds in awe.

"I'll teach you that if you teach me how to do the tea serving." I said quietly to Draco.

"Never." Draco said, kissing my forehead and giving me a playful smile.

I sighed, plopping down on one of the three beds. There was barely enough room to move, now that the bed was separated.

"Goodnight, you three. Sleep well." Rintriata said, closing the door as she left.

Hermione crawled onto the bed farthest from me, picking up her pillow and wrapping her arms around it.

"Aren't they lovely?" She said happily, looking at the door.

"Yeah. It's crazy that they're in hiding. When do you think the ministry will be off his case?" I asked, watching as Draco sat down on his bed, leaning against the headboard.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think very many Death Eaters got out of going to Azkaban. If they did, I'm sure there was a logical reason behind it." She gave an uncomfortable glance at Draco, who seemed deep in thought.

"Do you think that... Maybe if... Someone were to tell the ministry that Rowle wasn't active during the war that..?" She trailed off, looking at me hopefully.

I shook my head, not knowing.

She looked down at her pillow, tugging on the corner of it.

Draco sat up, folding a long leg up against his chest and resting his elbow on it.

"The reason I got out of my sentence to Azkaban is because Professor McGonagall vouched for me in my trial." He said, tugging on the hem of his trousers.

I had never heard Draco talk about anything pertaining to the war, or anything about him working on Voldemort's side. "She said that I um.. that I seemed unwilling to fight along side V- Voldemort and.." He rubbed the back of his neck, taking a deep breath. "and that it was my father who encouraged me to cross over. It's because of her that I am not in Azkaban." He said, glancing at me and then looking down.

I made eye contact with Hermione, she looked as if she had just seen a puppy get run over. Not knowing what to say, I slid off my bed and crawled up next to him, wrapping an arm around his tense shoulders. I kissed his cheek and he seemed to relax a little.

"I mean, if someone as high up as McGonagall were to say that Rowle didn't play an active part in the war, then I would think his sentence would be either erased, or lessened. I'm not sure though, as there are probably witnesses who saw him fighting." He said, finally looking at me. His grey eyes searched my face, I gave him a small smile and rubbed his back gently.

This seemed to be the thing he was looking for, and his shoulders noticeably relaxed under my hand.

"Who could we get to go to trial with him that's as important as McGonagall?" Hermione asked, looking at us.

I shook my head and shrugged, thinking of no one.

"Well.. Maybe Harry could do it." Draco said, looking at me.

I laughed out loud, tilting my head back. What a joke.

After I had stopped laughing I looked back at them. They seemed to be not as amused by this joke as I was.

"What?" I asked, looking between them. "I mean.. You're not serious, are you?" I asked, dropping my arm from Draco's shoulders and leaning back to observe him better. "You're joking me." I said, looking at Hermione for help.

"I mean, you did kill Voldemort. Who better to point out the bad guys from the good guys than the ultimate good guy himself?" Hermione said, sounding more and more hopeful.

"You two are absolutely mental. There is no way the ministry is going to listen to me."

"I don't see why they wouldn't." Hermione said, looking at Draco who nodded.

I sighed frustratedly. "Okay so let's say I waltz into the ministry and declare that Thorfinn Rowle isn't a bad guy after all, and he was just playing games the whole time. What if they say I've gone 'round the bend and send more people out to track him down? What about Rintriata? The baby?" I asked, trying to make them see the flaws in their brilliant plan.

Hermione chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of a solution if these problems were to occur.

"Well.. Maybe we could say that you saw a wanted poster around and wanted his name cleared? We don't have to say we actually met him." Hermione said optimistically.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair and sitting back down on my bed. "It's completely mental, Hermione, you have to see that." She didn't look at all discouraged. I shook my head, laying down and pulling the covers around me. "No way." I said, closing my eyes.

It was silent for a while and I knew they were looking at each other, perhaps waiting for me to say something. Finally, I heard the shifting of covers behind me as they got into bed.

There was no possible way that the ministry would ever listen to me. I'm just a kid. Even if I did defeat Voldemort, why would they believe my word against hundreds of other witnesses. No matter how good of a guy Rowle was now, it didn't erase his past. He was still a death eater. He still wrecked havoc.

My eyes opened as I realized what I had just said to myself. I remembered that Draco was a death eater. Even though he was pressured into it by his father, he still was one. He tried to kill Dumbledore. He still tortured people. Who knows what else Voldemort made him do. How could I forgive one death eater for everything, but still hold grudges against another.

I squeezed my eyes shut, considering my options. Rowle was a good guy now. Yes, he tried to kill us, and yes he was on Voldemort's side, but everyone deserves a second chance. I pulled the covers over my head, taking a deep breath and trying to relax. I could come up with a solution in the morning.


	13. Agritudo Sniatro

After a breakfast too early for me, the three of us set out for Hogwarts. The wind was worse than yesterday, and Draco tucked both me and Hermione underneath his long arms. I cast a warming charm on our clothes, but it didn't help much. We stumbled up the long path, nearly falling over once, and if it weren't for Draco's unbelievable balancing skills, I'm sure we would have. Hermione was laughing so hard she could barely walk, making us laugh, too.

"Sorry." She'd say, finally calming down, only to burst out laughing again.

I missed Hermione's random fits of laughter. It was so contagious.

We shuffled into the castle, panting from our struggle up the long path. We walked up the stairs and into the common room, joining Ron by the fire. Hermione kissed Ron as she sat down on the floor, telling him about our night. Apparently he had known about Hermione learning magic from Rowle. He shrugged at me apologetically, but of course, I couldn't be mad at him.

We all studied for a while, taking far too many breaks to be productive. After a few hours of that Draco closed his Herbology book, standing up.

"I'm going to go shower and read a little. I'll see you guys later." He said, kissing the top of my head as he turned around and headed up the stairs.

Hermione, Ron and I sat by the fire talking, our textbooks pushed aside. Hermione and I fell into conversation about my book on anamagi, only realizing how late it was when we heard Ron's snores.

Hermione smiled and shook her head, looking at him. She flicked her wand, laying a blanket across him, which he unconsciously pulled to his chest. She sighed happily, watching him sleep.

"McGonagall told him that he'd be a good gnome catcher." Hermione said quietly to me, suppressing a laugh.

I pressed my hand to my mouth, containing my smile.

"I think he'd be a good Auror, don't you? I mean.. I know he can be a bit clumsy... and thick.. but he's improved greatly, yeah?" She said, smiling at me.

I nodded. "Loads better. I think it was the wand that held him back, really." I said, smiling at her reassuringly.

She played with the ends of her hair. "When's Draco's meeting?"

"Tomorrow." I said, pushing my sleeves up.

She nodded, twisting her hair around her finger. "About his mum.. I uh.. wasn't too clear about it earlier." She said, blushing slightly. "It's just.. He's really changed, you know? And.. I just.. I wanted to help. I didn't mean to go behind anyone's back. I just wanted to be sure I could actually do the level of magic that was needed." She said, avoiding my eyes. She finally looked at me, her eyes searching my face. "Do you think Draco will be upset with me when I tell him?" She said, looking worried.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Best you tell him soon, though."

She nodded and sighed. "I'll tell him tomorrow. He's probably asleep by now anyways." She said, yawning. "In fact, I think we should be asleep as well." She said, smiling at Ron once more.

She got up and sat on the side of the couch, gently stroking his hair. She kissed his forehead, making him open his eyes. "Come on, Ronald. Time for bed." She said, smiling down at him. He rolled over, closing his eyes again. She sighed, trying to sound frustrated, but there was a smile on her face.

I stood up and stretched. "Night." I said, kissing the side of her forehead, turning to walk up the stairs.

"Night, Harry." She called after me.

* * *

I walked into our room, seeing the light flooding from underneath the door. I froze when I saw Draco on the bed.

His glasses were sitting on the very edge of his nose, and his eyes were closed. He had an open book laid across his lower stomach and one hand hanging off the bed. He was leaning up against the head board, his lips slightly parted.

I realized I had been standing with my hand on the doorknob. I turned around and closed it silently. I looked at the light, waving my hand and willing it to go off. I could swear it dimmed, but of course, it did not go out. I walked over to the bed, reaching out to turn off the light when I saw a familiar shade of orange splashed across the front of the sweater Draco was wearing. Upon looking down at his chest, I saw a large orange 'H' across the front of a knitted green sweater. I realized that he was wearing the jumper Mrs. Weasley had given me last Christmas. The sleeves were too short for his long arms, his delicate wrist exposed as it hung off the bed.

My heart swelled as I looked down at him, his hair disheveled and glasses askew. I switched off the light, picking the book up off his lap and plucking his glasses from the bridge of his nose. I sat down on the edge of the bed, moving his dangling hand so that I could hold it in my lap. I gently brushed the hair off the side of his face, barely touching him.

For some reason a knot formed in my throat. My eyes stung with tears and my face grew hot. I took a deep breath, blinking quickly. What am I upset about? I have everything I want. There is nothing to be sad about.

I felt a smile on my face, and I realized they were tears of happiness. I really did have everything I wanted. I was at Hogwarts, my home. I had many friends, and Ron and Hermione were together and supportive of my relationship with Draco, yet another thing that I was lucky enough to have. I looked down at his pale, angular face, rubbing my thumb against the back of his smooth hand.

God, he was so wonderful. His unfailing poshness and gracefulness, clashed by Weasley sweaters and wretched singing. I sniffed slightly, laughing quietly about our first morning here and his horrid singing in the shower. I must have woken him up with my sniffing because his eyes fluttered open and he picked his head up, looking around.

"Must've drifted off." He said, yawning and stretching a long arm in the air, exposing nearly half his forearm. Though it was too short, the sweater was baggy on him, causing deep wrinkles across his chest, where the fabric would be taught against mine.

I wiped my eyes quickly, realizing how much of a mess I look. I stood up, kneeling down at my trunk and pulling out my pajamas. I tugged them on, not facing him, knowing that he'd see right through me if I looked him in the eyes.

"Oh, I borrowed one of your sweaters, I hope that's okay. I got cold. Do you want it back?" He asked, his voice slow and gravely.

I shook my head, not wanting to give myself away with a shaky voice. God, what's my problem? Get it together, Harry.

"Everything alright?" he asked, clearly thrown by my silence.

"Yeah." I said sitting down on the bed, taking longer than needed to remove my watch.

"You sure?" he asked, adjusting himself so he could look at me better.

I nodded, laying down and pulling the covers up around me. I could feel his eyes on my back, and I knew he was still sitting up watching me.

"Did I do something?" he asked, I could hear concern etched in his voice.

That was the very last thing I wanted him to think. I took a deep breath, rolling over and sliding closer to him.

His grey eyes looked worried and his brow was furrowed.

I shook my head, watching as he relaxed slightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbow and running his fingers through my hair.

"I'm just.." I closed my eyes, realizing how stupid this would sound out loud. "really happy." I said, keeping my eyes closed. Draco's fingers didn't pause as they stroked my hair.

He kissed my forehead. "Good." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Come here."

He said, fully laying down next to me and wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me towards him. I buried my face in his chest, the sweater was soft against my face. I inhaled, smelling a mix of his sweet, stormy scent and mine.

He continued to stroked my hair as I fell asleep, rubbing his hand up and down my back gently. I never wanted to go to sleep without him.

* * *

At the end of Defense Against the Dark Arts the next day, Draco and I were about to walk out the door when I heard Snape's cold voice.

"Potter. Approach my desk."

I kissed Draco's cheek, walking back to the front of the classroom.

"Yes, professor?"

He stared at me, pursing his lips.

"Did you tell Mr. Malfoy that you confided in me about his mother?"

I stomach twisted. In fact, I had completely forgotten about it. I should have told him.

"No. I forgot." I said honestly.

He raised his eyebrows, looking down his large, hooked nose at me.

"You... forgot." He said slowly.

I nodded, trying to appear sincere.

"Right. Well, I've discussed it with professor McGonagall, and it seems that I might be able to help."

My jaw dropped. Did Snape really just say that? Why couldn't he have told me sooner and spare Hermione the trouble?

"Really?"

He crossed his arms. "Yes, really. It is an advanced potion and it takes a week to make, so you will have to be in here every day after supper. It will also need to be delivered to Narcissa promptly after it is finished. She will need to drink it within the hour for it to be effective."

My spirits were high. "Thank you professor. I'll be here, I promise-"

"Now, Potter, be aware that this potion might not work. It depends on the severity of Narcissa's illness. However... It is a very powerful potion and I believe it should void her of her sickness. Understood?"

I nodded, barely containing my excitement. I couldn't wait to tell Draco.

"The potion is called _Agritudo Saniatro_ , I expect you to research this potion thoroughly before our meeting. Be here tomorrow at 8 o' clock sharp. Inform Mr. Malfoy of this development. I will have all the ingredients in my cupboard, which you will retrieve upon arrival."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, professor." I said, my face hurt from smiling.

"That will be all." He said, the corner of his mouth upturning slightly.

"Thank you, sir." I said, practically running from the classroom and down the hill to Herbology.

* * *

I flew through the doors, and down the row of chairs. Sitting down in my stool next to Draco, I grabbed his arm.

I was barely able to keep my voice a whisper as I told him what had happened.

"How does Snape know about my mum's illness? What potion did he say? How do we know it's safe?" He asked, leaning forward to avoid eavesdroppers.

"I asked him a while ago, when we got back from your house. I- I forgot to tell you about it, I'm sorry. At the time he said he didn't know anything, so I didn't think it was important. He said it was called.. Allgruto- no- _Agritudo Saniatro_ , I'm going to research it in the library while you're at your meeting, Hermione will know where to look. He said that he wanted you to come to the sessions."

"Of course I'm coming." He said, then looked around and lowered his voice again. "Do you think.. do you think it will work?" He asked, his grey eyes searching my face. I could see the urgency in his eyes.

I nodded, seeing relief spread across his face. "Snape said that it was a tricky potion, but it would probably work. We have to give it to her an hour after we finish it, so are you doing anything next Tuesday night?"

He shook his head, smiling at me. Then, suddenly he stood, wrapping his strong arms around my waist. I was lifted off my chair slightly, my feet hit the floor.

"Thank you, Harry." He said, kissing the side of my head. "Thank you."

I could hear the gratefulness in his voice, and his arms were tight around me.

"You're welcome, Draco." I said quietly.

I heard the doors open at the end of the classroom, Professor Sprout came rustling in and greeted the class.

"Good morning, class h- what is everyone looki- oh." She said, cutting herself off.

Draco let me go, turning around. My face flushed deep red and I returned to my seat, sitting down hurriedly. Draco's ears turned pink as he cleared his throat and sat down gracefully.

"NOW! Today we will be learning about Pumpkin planting and harvesting.." I tuned Professor Sprout out when Draco turned to me.

"Sorry." He mouthed, biting his lip as he smiled.

I smiled at him, my blush deepening.

* * *

Hermione, Ron, Draco and I sat down at the 8th year table for lunch. We talked excitedly about the pumpkins we would be growing for the Halloween feast. Neville got up to go join Luna, leaving just the four of us at the table, Draco nudged my arm. "Shall we tell them about Snape?" He asked quietly, while Ron and Hermione were bickering about something irrelevant. I nodded, smiling at him.

"Hey, you two. Stop your fighting I've got something important to tell you." He said to them, tapping his fingers on the table to get their attention.

"What, Malfoy?" Ron asked irritably. Hermione elbowed him in the side. "Sorry." he said, looking at him apologetically.

Draco chuckled. "No worries. Listen." He said, leaning forward. "Snape said that he knows a potion that might help my mum."

"Oh, Draco, that's wonderful!" Hermione said a little too loudly. She clasped her hand to her mouth, looking around. "Sorry.. That's great, Draco." She said, happily.

"Bloody brilliant." Ron said, smiling.

"Harry and I are going to be brewing it over the next week. We are going to give it to her next Tuesday." He said, taking my hand in his and smiling at me.

I smiled back.

"Draco.. about that. I've been meaning to tell you." Hemione started, taking a deep breath. "I've sort of been learning that spell you were going to use on your mum. You know? _Desseoc expleo_?"

Draco's smile faded immediately. "What?" He asked, looking concerned. "Hermione, you know what that magic did to me. What if- what if that happens to you? No, Hermione, please tell me you haven't been using it."

"I haven't. Not yet, anyways." She said turning slightly pink and fiddling with the end of her sleeve.

Draco sighed in relief. "Please promise me that you won't use it." He said, looking at her intently.

"But- but what if this potion doesn't w-"

"Hermione, please. Promise me." He repeated.

"But-"

"Hermione." He said, quite sternly.

She tugged on her sleeve, looking down. "Fine." She said, not looking at him.

"Promise?" He asked.

She looked up at him and nodded hesitantly. "Promise."

His grey eyes searched her face for a moment before he leaned back. "Thank you." He said. Hermione crossed her arms, looking disgruntled.

"What time is it?" He asked me.

I looked at my watch. "2:47." I said.

He sighed, taking a long drink of pumpkin juice. He set down his glass. "I've got my meeting with McGonagall at 3." He said, picking up his bag. "I'd better go."

He stood up, giving me a kiss.

"Good luck." I said as he turned and walked away.

"Bloody hell. Wonder how that's gonna go." Ron said, watching him as he walked out the door.

"Probably quite well. He's very intelligent." Hermione said defensively.

Ron nodded, not saying anything. I knew what he was thinking. What job could a previous death eater hope to get? I sighed, poking at my food, suddenly losing my appetite.

* * *

I went up to the library after lunch to do some research about _Agritudo Saniatro_ , the potion Snape wants us to brew. I found a dusty book in the potions section of the library, where Hermione told me to look, flipping through it to make sure it had the right potion. I checked it out, making my way back to the common room.

Draco was in there when I arrived. I looked at the time, it had only been an hour. I walked over to him, sitting down on the couch.

"Hey. How'd the meeting go?" I asked, observing him. He looked relaxed as he read the book in his hands.

"Good. She actually offered me a job here." He didn't look up.

"Wow! That's great, Draco." I said, wondering why he wasn't more enthusiastic.

"Yeah, it's great." He said, flipping a page.

"Do you.. not want to work here?" I asked, confused.

"It's not that.. I just.." He sighed, closing his book. "I don't know. I feel like it's a job of charity." He said, rolling up his sleeves.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's lovely of her to offer it, but the only reason she did is because she knows I won't get a job anywhere else. I'm the son of a death eater. Bloody hell, I _was_ a death eater. Who in their right mind would hire me?" He asked, looking at me.

"I'd hire you." I said, smiling at him.

He smiled a little and scoffed. "Thanks, Potter, but I said someone in their _right_ mind, didn't I?"

"I see how that could be a problem." I said, smiling wider.

He shook his head, smiling down as he opened his book again. "You're a loon."

"I know." I said, kissing his cheek.

I reached into my bag, pulling out the book I had gotten at the library.

"Here's a book with _Agritudo Saniatro_ in it. I thought we could read some stuff about the potion, just to make sure we know about it before we see Snape tomorrow."

"Oh, good. Thanks. I'll read it before I go to sleep." He said, smiling at me.

I nodded, opening it up to the page with the ingredients and steps. I began to read, becoming absorbed in counter clockwise turns and specific brewing instructions.

* * *

At around 8 I went upstairs and showered, giving the book to Draco to read.

When I walked into our room, Draco was sitting in a chair at the table next to the window, reading the book and scribbling down notes on a piece of parchment.

"This is quite complex." He said as I changed into my pajamas.

"I know." I said, walking over behind him and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

I kissed the top of his head, inhaling his sweet scent. "We can do it." I said to him reassuringly.

He patted my arm, tilting his head to look up at me. I pecked him on the lips, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"Yeah, we can." he said.

I removed my hands from his shoulders, walking over to get into bed. I heard the ruffle of parchment and the flip of a page. I closed my eyes, lulled to sleep by the scribble of a quill on parchment.

* * *

The next day was spent buried in the book I check out from the library. Draco had re written all the steps and ingredients on a separate piece of parchment at least 6 times.

"I just want to get it right." he said, his ears turning pink.

I smiled at him, taking one of the pieces of parchment and comparing it to the book.

We were all sitting in the great hall at dinner, but Draco and I couldn't eat. We were too nervous about our meeting with Snape. Ron and Hermione seemed to notice, but didn't say anything.

At 7:45 Draco and I got up from the table, making our way toward Snape's classroom. When we got outside the door, Draco stopped.

"Harry, what if.. what if we can't make the potion? What if something goes wrong?" He stared at the closed door ahead of him.

I took his hand in mine, squeezing it slightly. I smiled at him when he looked at me. "Everything will be fine. Don't worry. We can do this." I said, trying to sound confident.

He nodded, taking a deep breath and smiling at me slightly. He stared at the door for a moment longer, hearing the chime of the clock in the distance. Draco squeezed my hand, pressing his other hand on the door to push it open.

Right when we walked in, Snape stepped into his portrait.

"Welcome." He said, crossing his arms.

Draco had a deathly grip on my hand as we stood in front of Snape's desk. Our arms were touching as we stood there, and I could feel Draco's shaking slightly. It wasn't until now that the realization of the importance of this potion really hit me. Draco was trying to save his mums life by doing this. So was I. If it worked, she would be healed. If it didn't? Could she die? I didn't remember reading anything about negative effects to this potion, or what would happen if it was taken too late.

"Good evening, Professor." Draco said. I looked up at him when he spoke. He was paler than usual, and his jaw was clenched.

"Good evening. I expect you have a list of the ingredients you will be needing?" Snape said, observing the book tucked under my arm.

"Yes sir." I replied.

Snape pointed to a door. "Everything you need will be found in there."

Draco let go of my hand, pulling out a sheet of parchment. We walked over to the door, tugging it open. It was the same closet that was in the Potions classroom when Snape was Potions master, but it had been moved. I shook my head, appreciating the wonder of magic.

I opened the book to the ingredients list.

"Read them off and I'll get them from the shelves." Draco said, stepping up on the small footstool, a tray in his hand.

"Boom Berry Juice, Aqua Vitæ, Essence of Comfrey, Salamander Blood, Flitterby wings, Horklump Juice." I paused after every one for him to put the various ingredients on the tray.

At this point, it was full and he had to carry the ingredients over to the table. He returned to his footstool a moment later, looking at me for more ingredients.

I took a deep breath, "Dried Balm leaves, Murtlap Essence, Betony, Knotgrass, Moondew, Octopus Powder, and... Butterscotch." I finished, closing the book and taking Draco's overflowing tray of ingredients. I set them down on the table, organizing them in the order we would need them (Draco had written a list based on the instructions) and waited for Snape's directions.

"Well done." Snape said, looking at us, his eyebrows raised. "Didn't miss a single ingredient." He looked down at us over his large nose. "What does the book say is the first step?"

I read step one aloud.

"Um.. combine Moondew and Octopus Powder, stirring 6 times counterclockwise." I said, looking up at him.

"Wrong. Combine Boom Berry Juice and Octopus Powder, stirr 5 times counterclockwise and once clockwise. Understood?"

I nodded, remembering how well I had done in potions following Snape's book. I picked up Boom Berry Juice, and was measuring it when Draco spoke.

"But it says in the book that we are supposed to use Moondew."

I paused, looking at him. I would think that after all the time he spent with Snape, he would know better than to question him.

"The book is wrong, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, crossing his arms.

"How do you know?"

"Draco.." I said, observing the anger that flickered across Snape's face.

"Because, I have brewed this potion many times, and I know what is correct and what is incorrect, Mr. Malfoy. I am far more experienced in potion making than you and have had twice as long to perfect my skills. Now. Combine Boom Berry Juice and Octopus Powder, stir 5 times counterclockwise and once clockwise." Snape said rigidly.

Draco stood and stared at him, not moving. I put my hand on his forearm gently, and he looked down at me. I shook my head slightly, and his grey eyes searched my face. He sighed, reaching for the Octopus Powder to measure it.

Draco stirred the potion 5 times counterclockwise and then stopped, as if making a decision. He looked at me, then at Snape, and then back at the potion. He pursed his lips, looking down at the book next to us. I could swear I saw his hand twitch to the left a fraction of an inch, but he stirred clockwise once, exhaling through his nose.

I knew that this action was his decision to trust Snape. I wondered what really went on between them during Voldemort's rise to power.

"What's the next step?" Draco asked Snape.

"Add Essence of Comfrey, Betony and Salamander blood. Stir clockwise 7 times, counterclockwise once, the clockwise 4 more times. After it turns red, raise the heat until the potion boils."  
This time, Draco didn't bother looking down at the book to read it's instructions. Instead, he reached for the Betony and Salamander blood, beginning to measure them. I picked up the Essence of Comfrey, measuring it and adding it to the potion.

* * *

After about an hour of potion making, we added Murtlap Essence and knotgrass.

"What's next?" Draco asked, looking up at Snape.

"That is all for today. It needs to brew for 24 hours before the next ingredients can be added.. Put the ingredients back where you found them. That cauldron can go on the empty shelf in the closet. It needs to be covered. There is a cauldron seal in the top drawer of my desk, take that to cover the potion."

Draco and I set to work, putting ingredients back where they came from and cleaning up the mess we made. The two of us delicately placed our potion on the empty shelf in Snape's closet, pressing the seal over the top of it.

After everything was cleaned, we went up to Snape's desk. He examined the room and then crossed his arms, his beady eyes analyzing us.

"You may go. I will see you tomorrow promptly at 8 o' clock. You will not be late." He said coldly. He shifted his head, swinging his greasy hair away from his face. "Good work."

"Thank you, Professor." Draco and I said in unison. Snape stepped out of his portrait without a glance toward us. We walked out of the room, closing the door behind us. As soon as it clicked shut, Draco looked at me. For some reason, I had the sudden urge to laugh.

I smiled widely, placing a hand over my mouth to hide it. He leaned his head back slightly and laughed, his eyes crinkling up. I laughed along with him. It felt good, after such a long and stressful day. We walked hand in hand up the stairs. I had to brace on the handrail as I laughed after a particularly accurate impression of Snape from Draco. We continued up the stairs, holding the stitches in our sides.

We fell into our bed, our faces sore from smiling. Draco pushed my hair away from my face, stroking it with his graceful fingers. We laid there for a while, letting out small laughs every so often.

"Thank you, Harry. For helping me." Draco said, his eyes shining in the moonlight. His blonde hair was silvery, and the creases around his eyes formed from his smile were enhanced by shadows.

I leaned forward and kissed him in response. When I pulled away he looked much more serious. He didn't say anything for a while, but he continued to run his fingers through my hair, his grey eyes searching my face.

"I love you, Harry." He said.

For some reason, it had much more weight behind it than last time. There was something different in his eyes.

"I love you, too, Draco." I replied.

A sudden solidity in the air surrounded us. It felt as though time had stopped completely. The only things moving were Draco's fingers through my hair and the pounding of my heart against my chest. It felt as though we had each spoken a thousand words.


	14. The Mirror of Erised

I was awoken during the night by the bed shifting. I opened my eyes, wondering if it was just a dream. Suddenly the bed moved again, as if someone had jumped on it. I rolled over, looking at Draco.

He was shaking, a layer of sweat glistening on his face. He was grabbing at the covers, straining as if to get away from someone. He jerked again, letting out a sharp cry.

I sat up immediately, resting a hand gently on his arm and stroking his hair softly. "Draco? Draco.. Draco, Draco, Draco." I said quietly, waiting for him to wake up.

He gasped loudly, eyes opening widely. He jerked away from me, almost falling off the bed. His breath was shaky, and he looked around him wildly.

"W- what's going on?" He asked, still gripping the sheets.

"You were having a nightmare." I said, trying to coax him back towards me. He looked very upset.

"I-I was.. I was in Azkaban. M-My father he.. he found me and.. he was trying t-to kill me. Harry.." he said shakily.

I tugged on his arm, pulling him back down to a laying position. He was still breathing hard.

"Harry it was so frightening. I don't want to go to Azkaban." He said, his eyebrows furrowing up as his eyes closed.

"I know, love.. I know." I stroked his hair.

"I don't want to go.." he repeated, his face slowly relaxing as he drifted back asleep.

I sat there running my fingers through his hair for a long time. It must be hard for him, his father being in Azkaban. Even though they weren't close, it must be difficult. Especially for his mum.

I wondered how Rowle and Rintriata's baby would feel growing up with an father in prison if Rowle was found. I thought back to Rowle's house, and what he and Hermione had suggested. Could I really go before a court and claim Rowle's innocence? Would it be right of me to do so?

I rubbed my face. How would I even go about requesting a court appeal? How would I say that I stand by my judgement of Rowle without giving away that I know the whereabouts of a wanted wizard? How would I prove his innocence? What if the Ministry declares I'm a mental case and I'm sent off to Azkaban? What if they somehow find out where he is and they capture him? What about Rintriata? What about the baby?

I sighed deeply, running my fingers through my hair. There's so much at risk.

I shook my head, dropping my hands and looking back down at Draco. He seemed so peaceful now, not a trace of concern on his smooth face.

I slid out of bed silently, creeping down the stairs to the common room. I could see the fire alight from up the stairs, and upon entering, I saw Hermione sitting in a chair by the fire.

She looked up as I entered.

"Hey Harry." She said cheerily.

"Hey. Couldn't sleep?" I asked, sitting down on the couch.

She shook her head. "Pansy was snoring again."

I laughed slightly. "I'm sorry. Silencing charm?" I asked, looking at her hopefully.

"I tried, but she kept breaking it. I just gave up." We stifled our laughter, trying not to disturb anyone else. "So, why are you down here?" She asked, laughter still in her voice.

"Draco had a bad dream, woke me up. Couldn't go back to sleep, started thinking about things."

"What's on your mind?" She said, closing the book in her lap.

I sighed deeply, not knowing how to talk to her about this. "I was just thinking about Rowle. I mean what's he going to do when Rintriata has her baby? It's got to go to school sometime. If he's a criminal's son, how do you think that'll go for him?" I scratched the side of my neck. "Do you really think I'd be able to help them?" I asked her.

"I don't know.. do you think that McGonagall could help us? I mean.. she helped Draco so maybe she would know what to do?"

"Maybe. It doesn't hurt to ask. But what if the Ministry doesn't take my statement? What if they start looking for him in Hogsmeade? What if they send him to Azkaban? And if McGonagall gets involved, what if she loses her title as headmistress? What if-?"

"Harry! Harry, relax." Hermione said, leaning forward and putting her hand on my arm. "Relax. Getting worried over this wont help anyone. Why don't we go to McGonagall's office tomorrow after Herbology and talk to her about it, yeah?"

I nodded, taking another deep breath. Hermione always knew how to sort everything out.

She patted my arm, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." I said, feeling much more calm.

She nodded, still smiling, and took her hand off my arm.

She yawned slightly, trying to hide it. I knew that she wanted to stay up with me to make sure I was okay.

"Tired?" I asked.

She shook her head, stifling another yawn.

I laughed, and she smiled at me guiltily. I stood up, taking her hand.

"Come on then." I said. She sighed and stood, setting her book down on the table.

"Hopefully Pansy will have rolled to her side by now. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek.

I hugged her back, squeezing her tight and picking her up slightly. She laughed and I sat her down. She smiled over her shoulder at me as she ascended the staircase. "Goodnight, Harry." She said, disappearing around the corner.

I kept smiling all the way up to my room, sliding under the covers right next to Draco. He mumbled a little, wrapping a strong arm around me and pulling me to him slightly. I kissed his cheek, but he didn't wake up.

* * *

Herbology class was spent planting pumpkins outside Hagrid's hut. It was so cold that I had to wear gloves underneath my gardening gloves to keep my hands warm.

At the end of class, Hermione and I began making our way to the castle. We had informed Draco and Ron on what we were going to say to McGonagall that morning over breakfast. Hermione and I walked up to the gargoyle. I muttered the password, and it sprang aside.

Upon approaching the door, I heard Snape's drawling voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. I knocked on the door, and the conversation paused.

"Enter." I heard McGonagall said. I pushed the door open, seeing that Snape's portrait was empty.

"Mr. Potter, your meeting isn't for another hour. I said on time, not- Mrs. Granger?" Hermione stepped forward into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, Professor." She said, standing next to me.

McGonagall looked back and forth between our faces for a minute. "Well, come in then. Or did you come here just to stare at me?" She said. I realized that neither of us had spoken or said why we were there.

We walked up to her desk, Hermione sat down and I stood next to her.

"Professor McGonagall..." Hermione began. "Harry and I were wondering, you see.. well.." Her face turned slightly pink and she looked up at me.

"Uh.." I interjected stupidly. "Well, we know that you were a witness for Draco at his trial and.." I paused, watching as she leaned back in her chair, obviously shocked at this topic. "and we were wondering if.. if there was any way that either you, or someone else, could be a representative for someone who was wrongly sentenced?" I finished, bracing myself on the seat back of Hermione's chair. I suddenly felt uneasy. Why were we here? Was this really going to accomplish anything?

She looked down at us over her glasses for a moment, pursing her lips. Suddenly she sat forward, folding her hands on the desk in front of her.

"I don't know why the two of you are meddling around in this, but I would think your answer is fairly obvious." She said, her green eyes watching us expectantly.

I shook my head, questioningly. "Well, it seems although I am the headmistress of this school, it is not I who defeated Voldemort. It is not I who ended the wizarding war for a second time. It is not I, Mr. Potter. It is you." She said, the corner of her mouth upturning slightly, her eyebrows raising. "I would assume that if there was someone you wish to defend, you would be able to do so yourself. You would think that the Minister of Magic would listen to the man who put a stop to the demolition of half the wizarding world, yes?" She said, looking at me and then Hermione.

I also looked down at Hermione, who smiled up at me as if to say 'I told you so.'

"That's what I said, professor." Hermione said.

My face reddened, and I looked down at my shoes. I often forgot about my successes, and how much they really did effect our world. McGonagall's stern appearance didn't give away much, but I could hear the pride in her voice. I realized that it was her esteem toward me that made me want to keep my career preference to myself. I didn't want to disappoint her.

I looked up at her, and her thin lips upturned into a brief smile.

"Now, I'm assuming the reason you are asking these questions is because there is someone you wish to free from Azkaban?" McGonagall asked, leaning forward.

"Not exactly." Hermione said. "You remember.. Thorfinn Rowle?" She said hesitantly.

I saw understanding spread across McGonagall's face.

"I see." McGonagall said. Hermione didn't speak. "If I am understanding you correctly, I would tread lightly when inquiring about the possible exoneration or incarceration of this person. I do believe that one Kingsley Shacklebolt has recently been appointed Minister for Magic, no?"

Hermione gasped, slapping her forehead. "How could I have not remembered! I saw that on Ron's copy of the Daily Prophet three days ago!" She groaned leaning back in her chair, shaking her head. "Harry, we can talk to Kingsley! He can help us, surely!" She said, looking up at me. "Thank you, Professor." Hermione said, standing up.

"Yeah, thank you, Professor McGonagall." I said, turning to leave with Hermione.

"Potter. Aren't you forgetting something?" McGonagall said. I turned around, confused.

"Your meeting." Hermione whispered.

"Oh! Right.." I shuffled up to her desk, embarrassed, sitting down in the chair as I heard the door close behind me.

"So. Have you thought more about your occupational future?"

"Yeah, I have. I think I would be a good teacher." I said confidently, smiling up at her.

"It is my understanding that you already are." She looked over her spectacles at me.

It was then that I realized she had known about Dumbledore's Army all along.

"Now. What kind of teaching would you like to do? Mr. Longbottom will be doing an apprenticeship with Professor Sprout following his graduation. If you would like to work in another wizarding school, you would, of course, have my unfaltering support and I would be glad to send you off with an extensive letter of my highest recommendation. However," She shifted in her seat, clearing her throat. "I would take great pride in having you as part of our faculty, and seeing as Professor Snape will not be filling the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this upcoming year, I would be more than happy to offer that opportunity to you."

She sat very still, observing me over her spectacles. I was speechless. Was that even allowed? I felt too young to be a teacher. Too inexperienced. Shouldn't I have to go through training of some sort?

"Uh.." I said, not knowing where to begin. I wanted to thank her for her offer and take it, but I also wanted to run away. Suddenly I felt the overwhelming urge to walk up there and hug her. There have been many times in which McGonagall had struck fear into my heart, but I have always felt a fondness toward her. I looked upon her deeply lined face, seeing the patience and confidence that has always been there. I knew that no matter what decision I made, she would be there to help in any way she could.

"I.." I said, trying to come up with words to explain how I was feeling. She continued to sit there, waiting for me to speak.

"Do you think I'm ready for that?" I asked her, lacking confidence in myself.

"Do you?" She asked, her eyebrows raising.

I thought back to Dumbledore's Army. It had always been easy teaching them what to do; how to move their wands, how to pronounce spells, or even how to think when casting a spell. Was that only because I knew them? What would happen when a group of kids only a few years younger than me came into my classroom, expecting me to teach them. Could I really handle that?

It was always fun in Dumbledore's Army. The room of requirement was always filled with laughter and cheers from successful spells. Defense Against the Dark Arts has never been like that. At least not until Lupin was the teacher.

I suddenly realized that in just a few short years, I would be teaching his son. My stomach twisted. Would I ever be as good as Lupin? Could I be?

"Yes." I said, as soon as I realized it. I could be as good as Lupin. I could be a great teacher. I will be. I am ready.

McGonagall smiled at me. "As do I. Now, I'm not trying to coerce you into working here, but if you think of where you might want t-"

"I'd like to work here." I said hastily, not wanting her to think I had any doubt in my mind. "If that's okay." I added, realizing that I had interrupted her.

"I'll inform the education board." She said, a satisfied smirk on her thin lips. "I think that will be all for today. If you have any more questions pertaining to your future career, know that my door is always open. I will bring you to my office next term to discuss your employment here at Hogwarts. Please be aware that teaching does take a lot of preparation, and you will need to spend the summer creating a teaching plan for upcoming students. I am sure that Professor Snape would be willing to share his course schedule with you upon inquiry." She said, glancing at his portrait. I looked over at it, seeing that he was standing there, looking down at me. To my surprise, he nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching up, very nearly into a half smile. I turned back to McGonagall as she spoke again. "Do keep in mind that regardless of the job I have offered you, any disregard for the rules will, as always, result in punishment. As for now, it seems that there are other important things on your mind." She said, standing.

I stood as well, thinking of the potion for Draco's mum and my future trip to the Ministry of Magic.

She walked around her desk, leading me to the door. I opened it, turning around as I stepped through. She held her chin high as she looked down at me, her mouth a thin line on her face. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "You're a good man, Mr. Potter."

As if my body were being controlled by someone else, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her slender body. She stood still for a moment, but then she enclosed me in a warm hug. She patted my back firmly, letting go as I did. I glanced at her face, seeing that her eyes were glistening. I looked hastily at the ground.

She cleared her throat. "Good day, Potter." She said, her voice stern as ever.

She had closed the door before I could say anything. I smiled at the door, appreciating her unwavering pride and sedulous defense of her emotions. I turned and walked down the stairs, making my way to the great hall for lunch.

* * *

After a few hours of studying, Draco and I headed to Snape's classroom to work on the potion. We arrived a few minutes early, running into Ginny who was there talking to Snape.

Draco and I waited outside the door after bursting in their awkwardly. After a few minutes, Ginny walked out with a smug grin on her face.

"Hey Ginny." I said as she closed the door behind her. "What was that about?"

"Just needed a few more points on my essay to get an A. Just explained a few points with further detail."

"What? You asked Snape for extra points? Have you gone mental?" I asked, once again astounded at her nerve.

She shrugged. "No big deal. It also does help that Luna's my best friend, and Luna is Snape's favorite student. I think I always get a bit of leniency."

"Wh- you mean Luna Lovegood? Favorite Student? Neville's Luna?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, of course. You've never noticed?" She said casually.

"Well I don't have classes with her. Even still... they are completely opposite in every way imaginable. How do they get along?"

"Well I'd think you ask yourself that same question every day." She said, turning around with a smirk. "Do find your way back to the correct common room this time, would you Harry?" She smiled back at me over her shoulder.

I was so stunned by everything that came out of her mouth, I'd think she'd hit me with a jinx. I looked up at Draco, who's eyebrows were raised. He looked impressed.

"Damn, Potter." He said, the clock chiming in the distance. "What was that about you going to the wrong common room?" He asked as we walked through the door.

"Nothing." I said, remembering back to that night when I found the mirror of erised. I wondered if Snape knew anything about why it was broken.

"Good evening." He said to us as we entered.

Draco and I didn't waste any time. We pulled out the cauldron and all the ingredients, setting them on the table. After we had set up the scales and uncovered the potion, we looked up at Snape for further instruction.

The only thing Draco and I had to do was turn up the heat and add three more ingredients.

Draco walked away to put ingredients in the cupboard while I cleaned the desk we had worked on.

"Professor, I was wondering if I could ask you a question about the Mirror of Erised?" I asked Snape hesitantly. If Ginny could ask for extra points, I could ask about this.

"What about it, Potter?" Snape said, crossing his arms.

"Well.. When did it break? Did Dumbledore disarm its magical properties after the sorcerer's stone was destroyed?"

"As far as I am aware, the Mirror of Erised remains fully functional. Obviously, I cannot examine it's magical properties at this moment, but I have not heard anything about it being damaged or lacking of it's magical properties. Why do you ask?" He looked down at me suspiciously.

I shrugged, attempting to remain casual. I didn't want him to think I had been using it. "Just wondering. I had a dream about it the other day." I said, walking over to hand Draco some more ingredients to organize.

Snape continued to watch me, and I pretended not to notice.

* * *

Draco and I walked out of Snape's classroom after we had finished cleaning. I snapped the door shut behind me, walking down the hall. If the Mirror of Erised wasn't broken, then why was I alone in the mirror? Did I do something wrong?

I was brought back to reality when I felt Draco's fingers intertwine with mine.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyebrows pushing together.

I nodded. "Yeah, just thinking."

"About what?" He asked, still watching me.

Suddenly an idea occurred to me. I looked at my watch, it was only 9.

"I'll show you." I said, smiling at him.

* * *

I lead him up the changing staircases to the empty classroom near the library. I closed the door behind us, turning around.

"You've brought me to an empty classroom. Spectacular." Draco said sarcastically.

I sighed and shook my head, smiling at the smirk which had spread across his face.

"Not empty." I said, pointing to the mirror and walking over to it.

"Oh, even better. A mysterious white sheet."

I rolled my eyes, knotting the sheet in my hands and yanking down. It fell to the ground with only a minimal dust cloud puffing up. As soon as the sheet hit the floor, Draco laughed.

"What?" I asked, shocked at his reaction.

His head was tilted back, and his eyes were scrunched up.

He stepped forward, touching his face. "Tricky little thing, isn't it? Even changed my clothes." His delicate fingers ran up the sides of the mirror, touching the words engraved in the sides. "What's this gibberish?" He asked, confused.

He glanced in the mirror again, letting out another laugh. He turned to the side, running his fingers through his hair.

I looked at the mirror. All I saw was us, just like normal.

I sighed. "It's still broken."

"What do you mean it's broken. I think it's wonderful!" He said, stepping back to stand next to me. "What is this? An aging mirror or something?" He said, tugging on his sleeve.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I mean how does it do that? It changed my clothes and everything. Look at that ghastly sweater I'm wearing." He said, pointing to his reflection.

I frowned, looking in the mirror. "I don't see anything, it's just us."

"Well yeah it's us, but we're about ninety years old aren't we?" He said, looking at me, confused.

I could feel my heartbeat in my fingertips. I realized what was happening. I saw reality in the mirror because I have everything I want. I have a home here at Hogwarts, which will be my home while I work here. I have a family. Ron's family, Hermione, and now Draco.

Draco has everything he wants materially, he sees us aged because that's what he desires.

"Is this that mirror you were talking to Snape about? What's it do?" He asked, looking back at it. He smiled, looking at the reflection. He put his hand on the top of my head, playing with my hair as he watched the reflection. "This is bloody brilliant. Why haven't I seen this before?" His grey eyes met mine in the mirror. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, dropping his hand from my hair and turning to look at me.

My mouth was dry. All I could do was stare at him. How could I tell him what this mirror really did?

I cleared my throat. "Um.." I said, blushing furiously. I looked at the mirror, reading the text on the outside. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. "the.. the inscription.. it says um.. "I show not your face but your heart's desire."" I said hesitantly, hoping he would understand.

"What? So my heart's desire is to wind up a craggy old man?" Draco said, amused.

"Not.. exactly." I said. "Um.. stay there."

I stepped out of the view of the mirror, standing next to it. Draco watched me for a moment, but then his eyes moved to the mirror. He jumped to the side, looking next to him. "What the-" He said, stepping out of view of the mirror. He looked at me, shocked. I stood there silently, letting him figure it out. He slowly approached the mirror, standing motionless when he got about three feet away.

"H-how are you doing that?" He asked, looking at me.

"I'm not doing anything, Draco. It's you."

Draco scratched the back of his neck, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion as his grey eyes flicked over the inscription, then landed back on the reflection. Draco's hand dropped down to his side, his forehead smoothing out in realization. He blinked twice, and then looked at me, his lips slightly parted.

I could hear my pulse, and I was sure Draco could hear it too. My chest felt as if it were about to rip open. The next few seconds felt like slow motion.

In two strides, Draco had me pressed against the wall, one arm around my waist, the other on my hip, pushing me backwards. He kissed me roughly as I knotted my fingers into his hair. I slid my hand down his back, pulling him toward me as the taste of his soft lips entranced me.

I tugged down on his hair, making him gasp softly. He pulled me forward with my tie, the front of our bodies pressing against each other. I felt as though I was so close, but still so far away. I pulled on his clothes, trying to bring him closer.

He broke our kiss, but didn't lean away. Our breaths mixed together, hot and quick against each other's faces. I tugged gently at his clothes once more, and his grey eyes opened to look down at me. They looked back and forth between my eyes, then around my face.

He kissed me one more time, then kissed my cheeks and my forehead. His hand found mine, and he spun around, dragging me to the door.

We were on the verge of running as we made our way to our dormitory. Draco barely said. "Vera Verto." Before he slammed the door open. Everyone looked over at us, but Draco didn't pause as he dragged me up the stairs to our room. He threw open the door, slamming it shut as soon as we were inside.

* * *

Draco pushed me back against the wall, we were both out of breath from walking so fast. He tugged up on the bottom of my shirt and I raised my arms as he pulled my shirt off. His hands went into my hair, knotting into it as he kissed me. I grabbed at his shirt, pulling him against me. He stepped forward, resting his knee against the wall between my legs. I slid my hands down his back, grinding my erection onto his hip.

He gasped briefly, then continued kissing me, one of his hands traveling away from my hair. It reached the back of my thigh, and pulled my leg up, making me lean into him. I pushed my hips forward one more time, this was enough to make him break our kiss, dropping his head down to my shoulder.

His breath was hot against my collarbone. His other hand dropped down, pulling my other leg up around his waist. I clutched his shoulders for support, sure that I was going to fall. He pressed me to the wall, our two erections grinding together.

I leaned my head back against the wall as he continued to press our hips together. I dug my fingers into his muscular shoulders as his lips went to work on my neck, biting and kissing everywhere.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he as he stepped backwards. I was again impressed by his strength. He sat down on the bed, my legs folding underneath me as he did so. His hand slid down my leg, lingering on my ankle. I realized that he was pulling off my shoes.

I smiled into our kiss. He's so posh. Doesn't want dirty shoes on the duvet. I unbuttoned his shirt, tugging it off his shoulders, then went to work on his belt. I knelt down on the ground in front of him, pulling off his trousers and boxers. He had apparently kicked off his shoes on the way to the bed.

I kissed my way up his smooth thigh, planting a firm kiss on either hip bone, and continuing to kiss up his stomach. I kissed up his neck, finally landing on his lips. I rubbed his dick against my lower stomach, smiling at the moan he produced into my mouth. He clawed at my back, pulling me down more.

I heard the snap of his fingers and my trousers unbuckled and were trying to pull themselves down my legs. He smiled against my lips. I nearly pulled away to roll my eyes at him.

I lifted up my hips, letting my trousers pull themselves off. "Show off." I whispered, kissing him as he laughed.

He knotted his fingers in my hair, rolling us over and folding his legs on either side of me. He pressed his hips into mine, rubbing our hard dicks against each other.

One of his hands left my hair, returning with a familiar white bottle. I was about to grab it, but before I could reach for it, he clicked it open. I went in to kiss him again, assuming that he would put the lubricant on himself, but all my actions halted as his graceful fingers slid around my dick.

My breath caught in my chest as they slid their way up and down my shaft. Too soon, his hand left my erection as he sat up. I managed to pick my head up off the bed to see what Draco was doing.

He was now sitting up on his knees, his back was arched as he reached behind him, his hand tucked away between his legs. His bit down on his lip, tilting his head back. His dick was pulsing as it stood erect in the air.

I sat up, sliding my hands up his thighs as he pushed his fingers inside himself. I wrapped my lips around the head of his penis, enjoying the sharp intake of breath he gave, followed by a loud moan. I pulled his hips forward, pushing him into my mouth. He entangled the fingers of his free hand into my hair, his other hand still at work. I swallowed around his dick a few times, attempting to do what he had done to me last time. I bobbed my head up and down a few times, trying again. I exhaled and relaxed my throat, gripping his hips tight and pulling him forward. I swallowed again, feeling the tip of his dick bend down my throat. Draco tugged hard on my hair, his forehead dropping down on top of my head as he breathed shakily.

"Christ, Harry." He whispered, pushing his dick farther down my throat.

It sent chills down my spine, and I slid my tongue on the underside of his dick slowly. He moaned softly, his hips pushing forward again. "I'm going to cum." He said, breathily, a moan emerging from his mouth.

He released himself down my throat as I grabbed as his thighs, pulling him toward me.

I slowly removed him from my mouth, feeling his body tremble. He rested his hand on my shoulder, holding himself up. His other hand came back into sight, and he stroked my dick again, his grey eyes boring into mine. This alone was almost enough to make me cum, and his graceful fingers sliding around my dick was making it harder to control myself.

He pushed me back against the bed, the hand which was resting on my shoulder now sliding down and pressing on my stomach. Draco scooted forward to where he was now above my hips, my dick gently brushed against his ass as he positioned himself. His fingers wrapped around my dick as he rubbed the head of it against his ass hole. I clawed at his thighs, gasping at the sensation.

He pressed my dick into his entrance, his eyes closing as his mouth dropped open. The beginnings of a moan were lost in his throat as he let his head drop forward. The hand that was guiding my dick now came to join his other one on my stomach as he braced himself, pushing his body farther down on my dick.

My eyes rolled back in my head slightly at the pleasure I felt from entering his ass hole. I wanted to thrust my hips up. I wanted to be all the way inside him. I remembered the rigidness I felt when he had done this to me. Using all my will power to keep my hips still on the bed as he slowly, _so slowly_ , brought himself down on me. I knotted my fingers into my hair, tugging hard in concentration.

I opened my eyes again to look at him. His eyebrows were pulling together and relaxing with his every movement, sporadic breaths escaping his lips as he slid up and down my dick.

He leaned back, moving his hands to rest on my thighs in stead of my stomach. His abs tensed, rippling under his pale skin. I could feel his arms trembling as he brought himself up, and then down again, relaxing ever so slightly.

He lifted his hips up again, but this time he looked down at me. He nodded slightly, and I took this as a sign that he was ready. I reached my hands down, holding his thighs. I thrust my hips forward gently, watching his reaction. A breath caught in his throat and his eyebrows pulled together. I pulled back, thrusting forward with the same about of force. I repeated this until I could feel his body relax, his face smoothing out.

I began to pick up pace, watching as Draco's head fell backwards with pleasure. A loud moan escaped his lips, and his elbow bent.

I sat up, wrapping my arm around his back. I flipped us over without removing myself from him. I pulled his legs up over my shoulders, grabbing his hips. I pushed into him again, more forcefully this time. He moaned again, pulling at the sheets.

I leaned forward on his legs as I thrust into him, picking up speed. He was breathing in tempo with my thrusts, each of his breaths cut off my a short moan. He knotted his fingers into my hair, bringing me down to kiss him.

He kissed me roughly. Urgently. Clawing at my back and pulling my hair. I pushed into him, a slapping sound being created as our two bodies collided.

I could feel the tension in my chest as I gained speed. I broke the kiss, my breathing interrupting my speech. "I'm.. gonna cum." I managed to get out.

He kissed me again in retaliation, tugging on my hair. I moaned into his mouth as I came, thrusting myself deep inside him.

He broke the kiss, gasping and letting his head fall down onto the bed. His eyes fluttered open as I pulled myself out of him, pressing gentle kisses down his neck. His legs slid off my shoulders, wrapping around my waist.

* * *

His fingers didn't leave my hair as I trailed kisses all over his chest and shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and with as much strength as I could muster, I picked him up from off the bed. His mouth dropped open and he looked at me in shock.

He was surprisingly lighter than I expected him to be. I kicked the sheets aside, placing him down on the bed and sliding in next to him. I wrapped one arm around him, pulling him halfway on top of me. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, tracing his fingers gently on my chest. I kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Draco." I said, inhaling his sweet scent.

"Goodnight, Harry." He replied. "I love you." he added, kissing the side of my neck.

I smiled. "I love you, too."

I fell asleep to his fingers sliding gently over my skin, tracing invisible patterns on my chest.


	15. Tea With McGonagall

Sunshine was spilling into the room as I woke up the next morning, Draco was almost completely on top of me, his face tucked in the crook of my neck. I ran my fingers up and down his back, slowly waking him up.

He inhaled deeply, making my neck go cold. He rolled over onto his back, stretching his long arms up and groaning. He dropped his hand on the pillow above his head, turning his face to smile at me sleepily.

"Morning." He said, his voice gravely.

"Morning." I replied, rolling over to wrap my arm around him.

"Sleep well?" He asked, stroking my hair.

I nodded into his chest as response. He kissed the top of my head.

I tilted my head back, kissing his chin. It was rough against my lips.

"You need to shave." I said, smiling up at him.

He scoffed. "Look in a mirror once in a while, Potter." He said, smiling at me and then rubbing his face. "Mmm. I quite like it, you know. What do you think? Bearded Draco? Yes or no?"

I laughed. "Bearded Draco?" He nodded, smirking. I sighed as his silliness. "I'll love you either way." I said, kissing his rough cheek.

His eyes crinkled up as he smiled. "I'll think about it. As for now, I need a shower." He said as he slid out from underneath my arms. He sat up, the muscles in his back shifting under his pale skin as he tugged on his pants. He grabbed his towel off the closet, tossing it over his shoulder and bending down to kiss my forehead.

"I'll see you in a bit." He said, pushing my hair back before he left.

I laid in bed enjoying the sunrise for awhile before I crawled out of bed. I got dressed slowly, smiling as I remembered last night at the Mirror of Erised. Was Draco's deepest desire really growing old with me? I sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on my shoe. As I picked the second one up I started thinking about all the different things Draco and I would do in our life. Where would this take us?

I pictured us living in a cottage in Hogsmeade, both working at Hogwarts and going home on weekends and Holidays. Madam Puddifoot's would be a regular weekend visit, of course. Maybe we could adopt some kids. Imagine McGonagall's reaction when I send a kid of mine her way. I chuckled at the thought.

"That shoe funny, is it?" Draco asked.

I looked up, seeing him standing at the door with a towel around his waist. I hadn't heard him enter.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Well you've been smiling at that shoe for bloody ages." He said, smirking at me as he crossed the room.

I blushed, realizing that I had, in fact, been looking at the shoe the entire time I was imagining my future with him. I wondered how long he had been standing there.

"Uh.. Yeah. I was just thinking about something." I said, laughing a little as I tugged my other shoe on.

I ignored his curious glances as I pulled buttoned my shirt and knotted my tie. I tugged at it, trying to make it even. It hung on my neck loosely. I shrugged and picked up my rucksack, throwing it on my shoulder and turning around to see if Draco was ready.

He was leaning on the bedpost, buttoning his shirt. His grey eyes flicked over my clothes, then rolled as he sighed.

"One day, Potter, I'll teach you how to properly knot that tie." He said as his hand lazily swept around his neck, tying his tie flawlessly.

I squinted at him, trying to look annoyed, but I couldn't help but smile. He grabbed his bag off the floor, stepping toward me and wrapping a long arm around my waist. He kissed me, then kissed all over my face sporadically, making me laugh.

"Dracoo stoooop." I said as I pushed against his chest, trying to get my face away from his rapid kisses. My laughter made it hard to get much force.

Finally he landed a much more gentle kiss on my lips, pulling back to smile at me. I hit his chest teasingly, looking up at him. His grey eyes were dancing with laughter. I kissed him again, and then we set off to the great hall for breakfast.

* * *

Ron had gotten a letter from his dad, which he was reading to us. It was about a new case his dad was working on. Apparently a muggle got hold of a pair of bewitched shoes that make people dance when they wore them.

"..up and down the corridor of the shoe store! They couldn't get them off his feet. The muggle apparently tried to hold onto-" Ron stopped talking looking down the table at Seamus and Dean who's conversation had suddenly become quite loud.

"..don't understand what the big deal is I-" Seamus said, trying to keep his voice down.

"That's just it, Seamus, you DON'T get it!" Dean said, standing up and stepping over the bench.

"Dean! Sit down, just talk to me. I want-"

"NO! I'm done talking about this!" Dean shouted, walking away, ignoring Seamus' objections.

Seamus watched him walk out, then threw his fork which skidded across the floor. He gave a frustrated sigh and rested his forehead on his hand. The four of us looked back at each other, seemingly thinking the same thing.

"Wonder what that was about." Ron said quietly, eyeing Seamus. "Never seen them fight like that. They've been a little quiet in the dorm recently, though."

I watched as Seamus stood up and trudged over to pick up his fork off the ground. He put it on the table, then picked up his bag and sulked out of the great hall.

I looked at Draco, who was turned slightly to watch Seamus walk out. He looked at me, shrugged and turned back to Ron and Hermione.

"I'm sure they'll sort it out." Draco said, biting into a piece of toast.

"Probably." Ron said. Then he smiled, remembering the letter his dad sent him. He picked it up, beginning to read.

* * *

We had just been dismissed from Herbology, cold from tending to the pumpkins outside Hagrid's hut. I heard a door slam and turned around to see Hagrid standing on his doorstep. The last few time's we'd been out there he hadn't been home.

"Hagrid!" I said, standing up.

Ron and Hermione turned around, seeing him standing there. Hermione stood up and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his large torso. "Hagrid!" She exclaimed over his booming laughter. Ron and I walked over to join them, getting bone crushing hugs of our own.

"How are yew three doin'?" he asked, smiling down at us.

"Great, Hagrid, how are you?" Hermione asked. Hagrid went into a story about finding a new breed of bowtruckles in the forbidden forest. I looked to my left, expecting to see Draco, but he wasn't there. I turned around, searching for him. Draco was kneeling on the ground slowly organizing our gardening tools.

"One sec." I said, turning around and jogging over to Draco. "Hey."

I said when I got over to him. He looked up at me, and gave me a small smile. "Hey."

"Why don't you come over with us?" I asked. His ears tinted pink.

"I don't think Hagrid really likes me.." Draco said, hitting his gloves together to get the dirt off.

"Hagrid likes everybody." I said, smiling down at him. Draco smiled a little, glancing over at Hagrid.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Definitely." I held out my hand, which he took and pulled himself up.

We walked over to them as Hermione and Ron laughed at Hagrid's tale. Hagrid patted Draco's arm in acknowledgement, almost knocking him over. Draco looked at me in alarm, probably thinking it was some sort of attack. I smiled and took his hand.

After a wild tale of how Hagrid was almost pulled to pieces by these new bowtruckles, he heaved a great sigh, letting out a few booming laughs.

"Ahh.. Nothin' like a walk in the ole forest, eh?" Hagrid said, smiling down at us as if it was actually a peaceful adventure.

We all mumbled 'yeahhs' and laughed nervously.

"Hey! I can't do anythin' tonight cause I gotta go and feed the lake dwinleers, but how's about the four of yer come over Saturday n' we all have a little dinner by the fire?"

"The four of us?" Draco asked, shocked.

"Well yeh Malfoy, can't invite 'Arry and not invite you! I mean unless you don't want ter come, then tha's alr-"

"No!" Draco said a little too abruptly. He cleared his throat, his ears going pink. "No, that would be quite lovely, thank you, Hagrid." He said, smiling up at him and then looking away, the pink in his ears deepening in color. I squeezed his hand a little, making his smile widen.

* * *

Draco and I stopped by Snape's room at 8 p.m. only to adjust the temperature and add one more ingredient. He told us to come back on Sunday at around the same time, but until then the potion needed to brew.

We were back in the common room by 8:30 and had settled by the fire with Ron and Hermione to study.

Draco suddenly snapped his book shut. "Bloody hell. Harry, would you please remind me to send a letter to my mum tomorrow? This is the third day I've forgotten."  
"Yeah, of course. I need to send one to Kingsley Shacklebolt to ask about Rowle as well." I said, returning my attention to my essay.

I looked up when I heard the door open. Dean walked in, closing the door behind him. Seamus, who had previously been sitting in their usual corner, stood up and took a step toward him. Dean averted his attention, making a straight line for the stairway.

"Dean-" Seamus started.

"Don't, Seamus." Dean said, taking the stairs by two on his way up. Seamus sat down again, looking defeated.

"You don't think they've broken up, do you?" Hermione asked.

I shook my head. "No way. Dean and Seamus? They've been inseparable since day 1."

Ron nodded, "Yeah, there's no way. They're perfect for each other. Just a bit of a rough patch, I'm sure."

Hermione nodded, still looking a bit worried, but looked back down at her book.

I looked over at Draco, who was now staring at Seamus. He looked as if he wanted to get up and go talk to him. Draco seemed to realized that I was watching him and looked down at some parchment in his lap, but he didn't write anything down. I wondered what he was thinking about.

* * *

I woke up the next day on the very edge of the bed. I looked over at Draco, who was laying on his back, his arm stretched out toward me like it always was when I wasn't wrapped around him. I smiled and ran my fingers up and down his arm gently. I looked over near the wall, seeing his pajama shirt. Apparently he had felt the need to throw it across the room during the night. I chuckled slightly at the thought.

His grey eyes fluttered open, and then shut tightly as his eyebrows furrowed. He rubbed his face with his other hand, groaning loudly.

"What time is it?" He asked, his hand clumsily fumbling around the top of the bureau for my watch. He finally found it, grabbing it and holding it in front of his face. His eyes were still closed, but he managed to pry them open and squint at the watch. "What?" he asked, looking at the watch, confused. "Your watch is broken, it says 1:30." He said, his eyes closing as he tilted his head in my direction.

I slid forward and took the watch from him, looking at it. "You were holding it upside down, Draco. It's seven." I said, smiling as he squinted his eyes open again. He looked like a big, confused baby.

He groaned, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. "I'm so tired."

He said, exhaling forcefully. I stroked his hair gently, kissing the back of his shoulder.

"How's a shower sound?" I asked, smiling at him as he turned his head in my direction. His eyes didn't open as a sleepy smile spread across his face.

He inhaled deeply, stretching his arms again. "Okaaayyyy." He said, groaning into the stretch. I kissed his back again, sliding out of bed, and grabbing both our towels. I swung them over my shoulder as Draco walked over to the door lazily, rubbing his eye.

Right when he put his hand on the doorknob there was a knock on the other side. Draco recoiled his hand, looking shocked. They knocked again. This time Draco cracked the door open, leaning on it.

"Oh hey, Seamus." Draco said, stepping back to let him in.

"Hey guys. I didn't wake you up did I?" He asked, looking at me.

I shook my head. "No, we were about to have a shower." I said. Draco shot me a glance and I realized what I had said. "Uh I- I mean separate... showers..." I said, laughing nervously. Draco shut his eyes, shaking his head. The corner of his mouth lifted up slightly.

"Right.." Seamus said awkwardly.

"What do you need, mate?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"Erm.. I was wonderin' if you could give me a little advice?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, uh yeah. Sure. Come in, have a seat." I said, slightly surprised.

"I'll uh... be in the shower." Draco said as Seamus walked to the table near the window sit down.

"Actually, Malfoy, I er.. I was wonderin' if you could help, too?" He asked, looking uncomfortable.

Draco looked taken aback and stuttered a bit before saying "Sure, sure. Yeah. No problem."

He closed the door, walking over to us as I sat down at the table. He leaned against the bedpost, waiting for Seamus to talk.

Seamus sat there and stared at the table for a minute. I figured he was collecting his thoughts. I quickly glanced at Draco. He had his hands lazily tucked in the pockets of his pajamas, his hair sticking in every direction. He was watching Seamus, his face patient and concerned. I smiled as I looked away, appreciating his sympathy.

"Well erm... Tomorrow's mine and Dean's one year anniversary, you see. We kept things quiet last year, but then the war broke out and everything, so we figured our relationship wouldn't be big news. I came out to me mam and dad in May, but Dean still hasn't told his parents. It makes me think he's embarrassed of our relationship, ya know?" He asked, looking at me across the table. I nodded, trying to look contemplative.

I had no idea why he was talking to me about this. I don't have parents. The only people I came out to were Ron and Hermione. Those were the only two people I cared about.

"Well.. Draco and I.. We kissed and his mum saw so.. we didn't exactly have a sit down chat." I said, glancing at Draco. A crooked smile formed on his lips as he indulged the memory.

"Yikes. Musta been awkward." Seamus said, laughing.

"Yeah, a bit." I said chuckling.

"Well, me parents have always been supportive, and 'course I was nervous and all, but I did it eventually. I've tried talkin' to Dean 'bout it but he keeps changing the subject. I know it's a bit weird, me comin' to you for this, but there's not really anyone else I know who's had to go through it."

"That's okay, Seamus. I just don't really know how to help since I never had to come out to anyone, really. Except Ron and Hermione, but of course they accepted us." I said, looking at Draco.

"Dean lives with his mum and step dad, right?" Draco asked.

How could he know that? I barely knew, and that's only because I overheard him telling someone else.

Seamus nodded in response, looking as shocked as I was.

"Well he said that his dad left his mum, yeah?"

Seamus nodded again.

"Well maybe... Maybe Dean thinks that for some reason his dad left because of him? So... perhaps he's hesitant to come out to his parents in fear that his step dad will leave?"

Seamus stared at Draco, his mouth slightly open.

It wasn't until Draco said "What?" That I realized I was staring at him, too.

Seamus and I both straightened up. He raised his eyebrows, looking at me and then at Draco, then looked back at me.

"I know." I said, smirking and looking over at Draco.

Draco just asked, "What?" again, looking back and forth between us.

"That makes sense. I mean his mam is real lovely, and so is his step dad. I never thought of it that way before. He doesn't talk about his biological dad a lot, ya know?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

He stood up. "Thanks, for this." he said, patting my arm. "Needed someone to talk some sense into me. I'm going to talk to him 'bout it again. Let him know that he can take things at his own pace."

I nodded, smiling at him. "Sounds good."

He took a step toward Draco, outstretching his hand.

"Thanks, mate." Draco took his hand, shaking it firmly. "I appreciate it."

Their handshake lingered as Seamus observed Draco. It looked as though he was just now seeing him for the first time. Draco smiled and nodded curtly, their hands dropping down.

Seamus walked to the door, opening it and saying, "See you in Herbology." before he closed it.

Draco stared at the door for a moment, but then turned to me, smiling. He walked over, bringing the other side of the towel up around the back of my neck, pulling me toward him.

"How about we take that shower, now, yeah?" He said, kissing me as I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"We'll miss breakfast." I said, kissing him again.

"Sacrifices." Draco shrugged, spinning around and gliding out the door, waving his arms gracefully like a ballerina.

I laughed and followed, shaking my head at him.

* * *

"That will be all." Snape said, dismissing class. "Potter. Malfoy. Approach my portrait."

Draco and I did so, glancing at each other. He looked as confused as I felt.

"Yes, Professor?" I asked, looking up at his portrait.

"Professor McGonagall would like to see you. An owl was sent this morning, but it appears that neither of you were at breakfast." He looked down at us suspiciously.

My face heated up as I thought back to our shower.

"Uh.." I said, trying to think of an excuse.

"We overslept." Said Draco cooly. I nodded in agreement.

Snape crossed his arms, observing us. "Right.. She requested I tell you to arrive anytime after three."

"Yes, sir." I said.

"You may go."

Draco and I hurried out of the room, not talking until we were out of the castle and on the way down the hill to Herbology.

"I wonder what McGonagall wants to talk to us about?" I asked Draco, looking up at him. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was clearly thinking the same thing as I was. He shook his head, pouting his lips slightly.

* * *

After Herbology, Draco and I gobbled down lunch, watching the time. We made it to the gargoyle at exactly 2:58.

"Think we should wait?" I asked Draco.

He shrugged. "Might as well."

He made his way over to the staircase, sitting down on the step. I followed, sitting next to him. Right as I sat down, we heard footsteps approaching. Madam Pomfrey rounded the corner, passing right by us. She walked up to the gargoyle, reading something off her wand.

"Alb-" She started, but was cut off when the gargoyle jumped aside.

Out walked Neville, looking high in spirits.

"Hi Madam Pomfrey!" Neville said happily.

"Hello, dear, how are you? How's that odd rash of yours?" She asked.

"Good, good! All better now." Neville said

"Good to hear. I expect I'll see you soon. Goodbye, dear!" She said as she stepped onto the staircase.

"Ye- wait what?" Neville asked, obviously confused as to why she would see him soon. Poor Neville. Always prone to injury.

"Hey, Neville." I said as we stood up.

"Hiya Harry." Neville said, sounding awfully like Luna. "McGonagall said that you might be working here next year, too. That'll be great!"

I laughed. "Yeah, can't wait. Professor Sprout will be happy to have someone to teach with her, I'm sure."

Neville nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I'm so excited. What are you doing next year, Malfoy?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't know yet."

Neville shrugged. "That's okay! I'm sure you'll do something great. I gotta go, Luna's waiting on me. See ya later!" He said as he walked bouncily away.

Draco watched him go, his eyebrows raised. "Full of energy, that one." He said, looking at me.

I nodded and laughed. "Yeah. It's good though."

Draco nodded, looking at the staircase which was now open. "Do you think we should wait for Madam Pomfrey to come out?" Draco asked.

I looked at my watch, it was now 3:03. "Why don't we wait until 3:15?" I asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, sitting back down on the steps. We talked about Rowle and how I might be able to get him out of his sentence to Azkaban. I was sure that Kingsley would have a solution for me. I wondered if Kingsley would want to talk to Rowle himself to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous going on. I pictured the encounter, cringing at the awkwardness.

At 3:15 Draco and I got up, making our way up the stairs. We knocked on the door, which swung open almost immediately.

Instead of the usual setup of the office, the table that was usually full of little bobbing trinkets was now cleared and held small finger sandwiches and tea.

"Sorry, are we interrupting? We can come back." Draco said, grabbing the door handle to pull it shut.

"No, no, come in, come in. This is for you as well." McGonagall said, standing from the table.

"F-For us?" Draco stuttered, his hand still on the door. "You mean me and Harry?" He asked.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I may be aged, but my vision is suitable for deciphering between one student and the next." McGonagall said.

"Right, sorry." Draco said hurriedly, his ears turned pink as we stepped inside the room and closed the door.

"Have a seat." She said, gesturing to the two empty chairs nearest to us.

Draco pulled my seat out for me, causing McGonagall to glance and smile at Madam Pomfrey. I blushed rather deeply, looking down at my hands. I heard Draco clear his throat as he sat down, obviously seeing them as well.

"Now, before we have tea, I'd like to discuss your mother first, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall said, her voice stern as ever, regardless of the delicate tea set and small sandwiches which lay before us. "Madam Pomfrey has been kind enough to offer her assistance on your journey to transport your potion to , if you so wish to have her there."

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Draco said, gratefulness seeping from his voice. I hadn't thought about the actual process of giving this potion to Narcissa and felt automatic relief that she would be there.

Madam Pomfrey huffed and swatted her hand in the air, smiling and looking away.

McGonagall smiled, but then continued. "Good. Considering this, I suggest there be a 24 hour surveillance on Mrs. Malfoy for after the potion has been consumed, and I would think that you would wish to be by your mother's side during this time." McGonagall said, looking at Draco who nodded. "Mr. Potter, if you would like to return to Hogwarts after the potion has been delivered, please feel free to do so."

Draco's hand immediately jumped to mine, he held it over the table and I blushed as both Madam Pomfrey and Mcgonagall's eyes looked down at it.

"I'd appreciate it if he stayed- if you want- if you could stay, I would-" Draco stumbled. I had never seen him so flustered. I had only heard him fumble with his words a few brief times.

"I'd like to stay with them, if that's alright." I said to McGonagall, interrupting Draco's mumblings.

She nodded, a smirk forming on her lips as her eyes flicked up to my face from Draco's hand on mine.

"Seeing as you will be in the presence of a teacher this entire time, I would like to think of it as an educational experience, and have informed both professors Sprout and Snape of your absence for Wednesday morning. You will, of course, be attending the preceding and subsequent classes." She said looking at us.

We both nodded, ostensibly thankful for her leniency and understanding.

"Good. Now that we have that settled... tea!" She said, happily. She reached out to pick up the kettle, and I looked at Draco with my eyebrows raised. Was he really going to go without showing off his tea serving skills?

He seemed to realize what was happening and his hand flew up in the air, pausing and then giving a graceful wave. The kettle glided upward, pouring tea into McGonagall's cup. She gasped, obviously shocked at the sudden levitation.

As the tea made it's way around the table, sugar cubes flying through the air, McGonagall watched it with curiosity.

"Draco, you must tell me how to do that." She said, watching a hefty drop of milk soar through the air and into her cup. It was odd hearing her say his first name. As far as I know, she had never done so before.

"With all due respect professor, I can't. Family secret." He said, the corner of his mouth pulling up.

She looked at him over her spectacles, her bun making her face look far more severe. "We will see about that, Mr. Malfoy." She said, her face finally breaking into a minuscule smile.

I took a sip of my tea, on the verge of laughter. It was as perfect as it always had been when Draco served it.

* * *

After all the small sandwiches were gone and our stomachs were too full to even drink the tea which was laid before us, Madam Pomfrey got up, saying her goodbyes. She apparently had a student in the hospital wing who was recovering from a wave of Bubotuber puss. After she had left, Draco leaned forward, straightening everything on his section of the table. I knew that he wanted to say something.

After literally everything on his side of the table was parallel to each other, he finally spoke.

"Professor, if you don't mind my asking, why did you invite us here? Not that it wasn't lovely, I do enjoy tea and sandwiches." Draco asked McGonagall across the table.

She set her teacup down, studying him for a moment. She took another sip of tea, her eyes wandering to my face. She looked down at her tea again as she returned it to it's saucer.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I enjoy understanding the lives of my students. Of course, I typically do not go through the trouble of setting up tea, but... these are special circumstances." Her eyes leapt to my face again, then to Draco's. "Seeing as my employees are reaching great lengths to assist you in this journey of rehabilitation for your mother, I find comfort in acquainting myself with you." She glanced at me once more, taking a deep breath and raising her eyebrows. "And it seems I do feel quite a responsibility for Mr. Potter. I would consider it a degradation to my name to see him exposed to supplementary emotional distress that could have been prevented." She said, looking at Draco once more. There was something in them that I hadn't seen before. A sort of protective threat. I flushed. Had McGonagall just warned Draco not to hurt me? I bit back a smile, seeing the small amount of normal color drain from Draco's face. "I would like to familiarize myself with you, Mr. Malfoy, that is all." She said, straightening up, the warning disappearing from her eyes.

Draco cleared his throat and nodded, taking a sip of tea, looking away. I looked at McGonagall, who was watching me. A sort of pinched smile formed on her lips.

We talked for a while about classes and our future careers. McGonagall pulled out her wand, reading the time off it.

She tsked. "It seems that I have kept you up to dinner. Apologies if you aren't quite hungry. I hear they have excellent mash today." She said, standing up.

Draco and I stood, thanking her for the tea and food. We walked out after some very firm arm pats from McGonagall.

She closed the door behind us, and right as we reached the top of the stairs Draco paused. "I erm.. left my wand. I'll meet you down there." He said, turning around and walking through the door.

I saw his wand in his pocket just before he turned the corner, so I stepped forward to go in and save him the trouble of looking. Before I could push the door open any farther heard Draco's voice.

".. for everything that you're doing. I can't tell you how much I- how much this means-." His voice sounded slightly shaky.

"I take great pleasure in helping my students, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall said.

"If there's ever anything I can do for you. Anything at all, please tell me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." Draco said.

I heard the soft click of McGonagall's shoes and I knew she had stepped toward him.

"I do not desire or require compensation for my assistance." She said softly. I peeked around the edge of the door and saw them standing in front of her desk. "Actually now that I think of it, there is something I desire." She said, her kind smile changing into a more sarcastic smirk. "I'd like to know how you serve tea."

Draco let out a thick laugh. He sniffed again and shook his head. "That's something I cannot do, unfortunately. It's actually a curse my mum put on the spell's name. If I say it out loud to someone that's not family, I'll lose my voice." He said, laughing. "She's a bit extreme."

She tsked disappointed. "I'll figure it out one of these days." She said, her lips forming another pinched smile. Draco chuckled at her stubbornness.

She outstretched her hand and touched his arm, her face turning into a more worried expression now. "Do take care of my boy, would you? I'm afraid not many people have." My face flushed. I felt a wave of honor wash over me at McGonagall's words.

Draco nodded, his eyes pink, sniffing slightly. "I will." He said.

They stood and looked at each other for a moment, and I felt as though I had witness a physical change between them. McGonagall was smiling more kindly than I have ever witnessed and for a moment I thought she was going to hug him. Instead, she dropped her hand.

"Off to dinner with the two of you, then." She said, her voice more stern than her expression. He nodded, stepping down from the platform on which her desk stood.

I hurriedly went down the stairs, hearing the door close as soon as I got to the hallway.

It was a little while before Draco came out of the staircase, I assumed he was trying to calm himself down. Even though his eyes were still pink when he joined me, I knew not to ask. I couldn't stop smiling all the way to the common room, too full for dinner.

* * *

We got back, immediately pulling out parchment to write our letters.

"Kingsley,

This is Harry Potter, sorry I haven't written sooner. How are you? How's the new job? I hope you aren't too busy.

I'm writing to ask how one would go about requesting the dismissal of charges against someone wrongly accused of a crime? Could I somehow stop by the Ministry and have a meeting with you, or perhaps we could go have tea?

Either way, it would be nice to hear from you.

Best,

Harry."

I read and re-read the letter. Did it sound too pushy? Give too much away? Either way, I sealed it writing "Kingsley Shacklebolt" on the front of it.

Draco stood up, wrapping his coat around him. "Ready?" he asked, looking over at me.

I nodded, pulling on my gloves.

* * *

We got to the door of the castle. "Wait." I said, pulling out my wand. I cast a warming charm over our clothes, as strong as I could make it, and opened up Draco's jacket, folding myself inside. He laughed, pulling me closer to him and pushed open the door.

We were immediately struck with chilly winter winds. The sun was setting off in the distance. I could feel licks of warmth from my charm occasionally, but it was pushed away by the wind.

We trudged our way up the steps to the Owlry, too cold to talk. Once inside, the wind was mainly blocked, letting my warming charm surround us.

We attached our letters to the owls, sending them off out the window. The two of us stood and watched them fly away over the lake. I tucked my arms underneath Draco's jacket, wrapping my arms around his slender waist. He kissed the top of my head, his long arm squeezing my shoulders.

We watched the sun set colorfully over the horizon, littering the school grounds with bright pinks and oranges. Right when we were about to step foot out the door, a white puff floated down from the sky, followed closely by three more. I stuck my hand out, one landing in it. It melted almost immediately.

"It's snowing." Draco said, smiling and looking up into the sky.

We watched as snow coated the stairs, entering the Owlry through gusts of wind. We walked up the path to the castle, observing as the ground gradually became whiter. When entered the castle, I patted my jacket, getting the snow off me. I looked up at Draco, who looked as wonderful as always. The white flakes of snow in his hair almost blending in. His nose was quite pink against his pale face.

I scoffed, shaking my head at his permanently handsome countenance, starting up the stairs toward the common room.

"What?" he called after me, climbing the stairs behind me.

I smiled, turning around. He stopped a stair behind me, making him slightly shorter than me.

"You're ridiculous." I said, looking down at his perfectly angular face.

His grey eyes crinkled up into a smile and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned forward and kissed him, sliding my hands into his hair, smile still lingering on his soft lips.


	16. Eldridge and Sheffield

Draco, Ron, Hermione and I set out down the castle grounds to Hagrid's hut.

"What do ya think Hagrid has for us? Rock cakes?" Ron asked, smiling over at us.

Hermione laughed. "I expect so. I did bring marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate though." She said smiling.

"Mmm.. I love s'mores." I said, remembering once when the Dursley's had gone away and Mrs. Figg let me roast marshmallows in her fire pit.

"What are snores?" Ron asked.

Hermione and I looked at him, mouths agape. "You haven't made s'mores before?" She asked him, horrified.

"I haven't either." Draco said, earning a shocked stare for himself.

Hermione leaned toward me. "Our boyfriends are mental." She said, smiling at me. I laughed as she wrapped her arm around my arm, ignoring Ron's question of what she just said to me.

We made it to Hagrid's hut at around 8:30, knocking on the door. Instead of booming barks from the inside, we all jumped in surprise as Fang ran through our legs from behind, jumping up on Ron. Hagrid appeared from around the back of the hut shortly afterwards.

"'Ello everyone!" He shouted happily. "Come on to the back, jus' now got a li'l fire started." He said, waving a large hand and turning around to walk behind the hut again.

What Hagrid considered to be a 'little fire' was, in fact, a bonfire. It was roaring in a large fire pit. Hagrid appeared a moment later with a log the size of an adult oak tree on his shoulder. He set it down with a ground shaking thud, smacking the dirt off his hands.

"Ahh. Tha'll be good, dont yeh think? I have my own seat over 'ere." He said, pointing to a tree stump that looked like the bottom of the huge log Hagrid had just been holding.

"Yeah, that's great Hagrid." Hermione said, shielding her face from the scalding fire. "Do you think you could move it back a bit?"

"Yeah o'course!" Hagrid said, rolling the giant log. "Tha' alrigh'?"

We nodded. "Thanks, Hagrid." I said, sitting down.

Hagrid walked over to his stump, pulling out some very large sticks of meat. "I got some sausages and some frog legs for yeh. 'Ere ye go." He said, handing it to Ron who tried his best not to grimace at the raw meat in his hands.

"Thanks." He said, swallowing hard and setting the meat down near his feet.

"I've brought marshmallows!" Hermione announced happily, taking them out of her bag.

Hagrid handed us some cooking sticks, on which Hermione and I stuck our marshmallows. I stuck mine near the fire, looking over at Draco.

He was frowning down at the marshmallow in his hand, squeezing it gently. He looked at his cooking stick and then at my marshmallow near the fire.

"Do you need help?" I asked, blowing on my marshmallow which had now caught fire.

"I think I can handle putting a sweet on a stick." He said, stabbing his marshmallow forcefully.

I smirked and rolled my eyes. I picked up a graham cracker and some chocolate, squishing my marshmallow on it. Draco stuck his marshmallow in the fire, which ignited and fell off the stick almost immediately.

"Will you hand me another?" He asked. I handed him one and he repeated exactly what he had just done.

I laughed, handing him my s'more. "Eat this." I said, grabbing a marshmallow and beginning to roast it.

Draco observed it in disgust, poking the molten marshmallow with a delicate finger. He looked at me, and I nodded at him encouragingly.

He bit off a corner of the s'more, a string of marshmallow landing on his chin. He chewed, his eyebrows raising and a smile forming on his lips.

"Blimey, this is good." He said, looking at me.

"I know." I said, wiping the marshmallow off his chin. His ears turned slightly pink as he smiled at me and took another bite.

I made another s'more with the marshmallow I had roasted, eating it in two bites. Draco still had a bit of his first one in his fingers as I finished my second and poked another marshmallow on my cooking stick. I looked over at Ron who had marshmallow smeared all over his face. Hermione was shaking her head and looking at him as if he were a little kid.

"He's had six." She said to me, laughing.

"What? They're bleedin' good! I needa make up for all this lost time." Ron said, stuffing another one in his mouth.

Hagrid had created the ultimate s'more with two full chocolate bars, two long graham crackers and about 6 marshmallows. He pushed them together, taking a bite. Crumbs landed in his beard as he let out a long 'Mmmm' of enjoyment while he chewed.

I looked back at Draco who was spearing another marshmallow on his stick. He held it directly over the fire, and it lit aflame almost immediately, burning off and landing on top of the two others. He sighed looking at me. I laughed at his pitiful expression.

"Take this." I said, handing him my cooking stick, my marshmallow still on the end of it. "Don't put it in the fire, hold it just outside the flame." I said, guiding it back a little. "Rotate it slowly or it'll burn."

He nodded, watching the marshmallow as if it would set on fire if he looked away. I picked up a graham cracker and some chocolate in preparation of the marshmallow.

"Okay bring the marshmallow here. Careful not to burn your fingers." I said, holding open the s'more. When he brought it to us, I pressed it between then chocolate and graham cracker, pulling it off the stick. I handed it to him, and he took it happily, taking a larger bite than last time. He smiled at me as he chewed, taking another bite.

"Thanks, Potter." He mumbled, his ears turning pink.

The firelight danced in his eyes as he smiled at me, shadows spilling across his angular face. I pecked him on the lips, plucking the other half of his s'more out of his hand. I pushed it into my mouth before he could object, giving him an evil grin.

"Hey!" He said grabbing my sides. "You give that back." He said, on the verge of laughter as his long fingers pinched and poked my stomach, making me clasp my hand over my mouth to keep from spitting the s'more out. I leaned away from him and into Hermione, only to be pulled back into his warm arms.

"I'll get you for that." He said, kissing my forehead and reaching around me to grab another marshmallow.

I laughed again, finally swallowing the s'more. My eyes were watering from laughing so hard, my sides aching. As I wiped my eyes I looked over to see Hagrid staring at us. As soon as he realized I was looking he hastily busied himself, picking up a giant sausage and spearing it with his cooking stick violently. He whistled as he rotated it over the blazing fire.

I leaned down, grabbing some graham crackers and chocolate for Draco, setting them on my knee for him to take. I wrapped my arms around his bicep, leaning on his shoulder to watch him roast his marshmallow.

He kissed the top of my head. "Thanks for letting me come." He said quietly, squishing his marshmallow into a s'more.

"Like I said before, you best get used to it." I smiled, remembering McGonagall's birthday party.

He smiled too, taking a bite of his s'more. I kissed the side of his neck, resting my head on his shoulder again. I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the crackling fire clashing with the crisp October winds against my back. The rumbling of Hagrid's voice blended in with the chirp of creatures around us. Hermione's laugh echoed through the grounds of the forbidden forest. I inhaled, the smell of burnt wood mixing with Draco's sweet cologne.

* * *

I woke up in my room the next day, a note floating above my head. I smiled as I snatched it out of the air.

"I've gone to the owlry, be back later.

Love you.

xoxo Draco."

I smiled down at his immaculate handwriting. I got up, folding the note and bending down to my trunk. I tossed aside my invisibility cloak and several socks, finding another piece of parchment. I unfolded it carefully and read it.

"Had to go see Headmistress McGonagall, see you after breakfast in the common room.

xo, Draco."

I ran my fingers along his cursive print before tucking his second note into it, placing it back at the bottom of my trunk.

I stood up, grabbing my towel and headed to the washroom to shower. The smell of last night's campfire still lingering on my skin.

* * *

I walked back to my room after my shower, disappointed to see that it was still empty. I sighed, pulling on my clothes and heading down to the common room.

"Hey, have you seen Draco?" I asked Hermione, who was buried in books on the floor next to the fire. She shook her head, not looking up.

I sighed again, taking out my book and falling into a trance about the different laws and steps needed to become an animagi.

It wasn't until my stomach growled that I looked at the time. It was nearly 3. I frowned, wondering where Draco could have been. I woke up around 11, so he must've put that note there before that. It didn't take that long to go to the owlry.

I snapped my book shut, standing up and deciding that I'd go look for him once I finished lunch.

* * *

I sat down at the 8th year table, scooping copious amounts of food onto my plate. Neville and Luna were absorbed in the latest copy of the quibbler, Millicent and Cho were huddled together discussing something that caused sharp giggles to erupt from both of them in turn. Dean and Seamus were holding hands, having lunch in content silence. Dean occasionally flipped a page of the Daily Prophet while Seamus skimmed the headlines, more interested in the food on his plate.

It was good to see them together and happy again. Even when they were friends it was odd to see them argue. I thought back to when Seamus had come in our room and what Draco had said to him. I wondered where Draco got that information. Was he really that observant? Were Dean and him actually friends and I had just never noticed? I realized that I had been staring at them while I was thinking and I hastily looked down at my food, hoping they didn't notice.

I heard a soft clunk and looked over to where the sound was produced. My watch had fallen off my wrist and landed on the table. I smiled, picking it up and flipping it over in my hands. The clasp on this was always breaking. I glided my thumb against the familiar dent in the back of it, remembering the day Mrs. Weasley had given it to me. I rubbed the front of it with a section of my robes, cleaning the scratched face of the clock. The nicks and dents in it couldn't be repaired by a spell, but in a way I liked them. It made me feel more a part of the Weasley family.

I pulled out my wand, pointing it at the damaged watch. _Reparo_ , I thought, making the clasp of the watch reattach. I tucked my wand away, wrapping the watch around my wrist once again.

Suddenly my stomach dropped. I slapped my hand against my forehead in realization. Ron's mum's birthday was on Saturday and I still haven't gotten her a present.

I shoveled the rest of my food into my mouth. jumping up from the table, practically running out of the great hall and out of the castle. As soon as I was out of the grounds, I apparated to Hogsmeade, earning a disgruntled cry from an unsuspecting witch.

"Sorry." I muttered, looking around the shops. What would she want? What can I get her? Ron's gotten her knitting needles, Merlin knows George got her something amazing. What can I get her, what can I get her?

I spun around looking at all the different shops. I sighed in frustration, she wouldn't want anything from here. I twisted on the spot, apparating to the muggle London, just outside the leaky cauldron. I burst through the door, making everyone turn to stare. Immediately there was an outburst of whispers

"Harry Potter."

"The war..."

"Wasn't he the one who killed..."

"Harry Potter."

The whispers surrounded me as I ducked my head, making my way to the back of the pub. I tapped my wand on the bricks in the order Hagrid had done so many times, walking into the busy street of Diagon Alley.

I walked through the crowd, observing all the shops I passed. I paused outside of Madam Malkin's Robe shop, considering buying her some new robes. It occurred to me that I didn't know her sizes, so I continued down the street.

I saw the bright colors of George's joke shop down the street and I made my way over there, pushing through the door. The place was as crowded as ever, kids lining every wall, trying out the new gadgets George had created. I looked around for a flash of red hair, my eyes flicking from face to face in search of freckles. I didn't have to look too long before I was tackled from behind, a voice shouting in my ear.

"Harry, ole boy! How are ya?" George asked, smiling from ear to ear.

"Good! Good. How are you? Shop looks crazy busy."

George looked around and shrugged. "Everyone likes a good prank." He said, ruffling my hair. "What brings you here? Planning on slipping Ron a wart toffee?" George said, an evil grin forming on his face.

I laughed and shook my head. "Actually, I'm searching for a present for your mum." I said, shouting over the squeal of a few young girls next to me.

"What?!" George asked, leaning forward.

"I'm trying to get your mum a present!"

"Ah! Dear ole mum! Whatcha thinkin'? Maybe an aviatomobile?" He asked, pulling out a small toy car from his pocket. I watched it for a moment, shocked when it floated up from his hand, soaring away. I remembered back when Ron and I had hijacked their flying car to get to Hogwarts. I shot George an unamused glance, making him to burst out in laughter.

"No, I think not." I said, laughing along with him.

After we had calmed down I asked what he had gotten her. He had gotten her a new batch of floo powder that didn't leave soot on your clothes and a new pair of earrings.

He suggested that I head down to Twilfitt and Tattings to get her a wizards hat or something of the sort.

He gave me another rough hug, making his way through the crowd. I squeezed through the sea of people, practically falling out of the door. There was a ringing in my ears caused by the loud environment of the joke shop. I rubbed my ear, trying to make it stop. Suddenly there was a sharp pain on top of my head. It was my scar hurting again. My heart beat skyrocketed, I fell to my knees taking gasping breaths. _No. No, this can't be happening. It can't. It- wait._ I suddenly realized that there was a flapping sound coming from above my head, and the pain was on my scalp, not my forehead. I swatted my hand above my head, making contact with a furry mass.

A very angry owl squawked at me, flying away. I clutched my chest as I stood, bracing myself on the wall of George's shop. I closed my eyes, shaking my head to try and get my mind cleared. I heard the coo of an owl in the distance and my eyes shot open. I realized what I wanted to get Mrs. Weasley for her birthday. A new owl.

After my heart rate had gone down to a normal level, I walked down the chilly path to Eeylops Owl Emporium. I walked in the shop, the tinkle of a bell sounded, mixing with many owl hoots. I looked around the shop, which was vacant except for many large owls eyes peering at me. The flutter of wings sounded somewhere in the far corner of the shop as I made my way around the perimeter. I paused at a beautiful white owl, thinking back to Hedwig. I stroked the owl softly and it nibbled at my finger playfully. I smiled down at it, but continued walking. I didn't think I could handle seeing a snowy owl so frequently. Too many memories. None of the other owls paid me any attention, tucking their faces under their wings as I passed. I sighed, turning around to walk out. Maybe I could just get her a nice sweater.

As I reached for the door, a brown owl descended and clung onto my arm. I recoiled in surprise, causing it to spread it's wings to gain balance. It gripped my arm firmly, but it's talons didn't scratch me.

"Hello there." I said to it, stroking its soft feathers.

It cooed at me in response, pushing its face against my hand to make me pet the top of its head. I smiled down at the bird, it's face pure white, fading into a dark brown color. There were a few straggling black and white feathers on it's wings which stuck out from the regular light brown shade. It trilled happily up at me again, turning on my arm to make me pet its back. I laughed, looking around the shop for someone I could purchase this owl from.

"Hello?" I asked, straining my ears to hear a voice amongst the fluttering wings. "Anybody? I'm here to buy an owl?" I stood, stroking the owl and waiting for a response. After a minute of silence I sighed, looking down at the owl.

"Guess I can't buy you, then." I said, to which the owl ruffled its feathers. "Sorry."

The owl clicked its beak pushing up off my arm to fly through the air. I watched as it flew out of sight, returning a moment later with a block of wood in its claws. It landed on my shoulder after it had dropped the block of wood into my hands

I flipped it over. _Screech Owl: 15 Galleons._ I smiled, turning my head to look at the owl. It cooed next to me, shuffling closer to my face. I laughed, setting the block of wood down on a table near me.

"I can't just leave money lying around. Besides, I'll need a cage for you." I said to it. It soared off my shoulder, landing on a sign that said _Cages: 2 Galleons._

I smiled and shook my head at the owl who flew back onto my shoulder, nuzzling its face against my cheek. I stroked its feathers gently.

"Alright, alright." I said stepping farther into the shop in search of a desk. Behind a tall shelf of cages there was a desk with rolls of parchment and quills.

"Hello?" I called once more, ears alert for a reply.

After a few more seconds of silence, I reached over the table, picking up a bare bit of parchment and a quill. I scribbled down a note of explanation, pulling out my bag of money. I dug around for galleons, and as I pulled the last one out, there was a loud crashing from behind one of the shelves. I shoved my money back into the bag, walking around the shelf. There was a guy about my age sitting amongst a mountain of cages.

"Bleedin' crates!" he said, kicking one aside and shoving the cages off of him.

"Are-are you okay?" I asked, reaching my hand out to help him up.

He jumped at my voice, looking up at me. Instead of taking my hand he yelped, skittering backwards as if I had burnt him.

"Y-You're Ha-Harry P-P-Potter! You're Ha-Harry Potter!" He said, his back slamming against the wall as he continued to try and escape from me. I held my hands up showing I didn't have a wand out.

"Sorry, I- I didn't mean to frighten you. I've just come here to buy an owl." I said, stepping forward.

He recoiled, shielding his face. I took a few paces backwards. He sat against the wall shaking, shielding his face from me as if I were about to attack.

"Listen... I just want an owl and cage, I'm not here to hurt anyone." I said, staying where I was.

The boy peeked through his fingers at me suspiciously. His eyes were shocking blue, clashing against his jet black hair.

I pointed to the owl on my shoulder. "See? Owl." I said, smiling slightly.

He slowly dropped his hands from his face, shoving aside a cage that was pressed against his side.

"Right. Yeah, sure. Okay.." He said, standing up and brushing himself off.

He took out his wand, flicking it to make the cages stand upright again. He walked down the isle, keeping his eyes on me. I stepped aside to let him pass and he walked around me, giving me a wide girth. He felt behind him, running into the table at which I was just standing. I walked forward slowly, trying not to scare him again. He still had his wand gripped in his hand and it twitched with every move I made.

"So that's the owl you want then?" He asked, gesturing to it.

I nodded, reaching down to grab my money pouch. His wand pointed at me immediately. I slowly raised the pouch, exposing my other bare hand innocently.

"Just getting some money." I said.

He muttered his apologies and lowered his wand. I pulled out 17 galleons, 15 for the owl and 2 for the cage, setting it on the table. He swept the money into his hand, dropping it into a metal tin and scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.

"Right, well have your pick of the cages. Sorry about the whole... screaming.. thing.." He said, his cheeks becoming red. "It's not every day that bloody Harry Potter walks into your shop."

"No worries." I said, laughing awkwardly.

"I'm Sheffield, by the way. Eeylop's nephew." He said, extending his hand. I took it, shaking it firmly.

"I'm Harry. Obviously.." I replied, smirking. He chuckled awkwardly as he released my hand.

The owl nuzzled my face. I stroked its chest softly smiling at it.

"She's a smart one." Sheffield said, looking at the owl on my shoulder. "She's never taken to anyone before. Must really like you."

The owl cooed softly next to me in response, making him laugh. He walked around the desk and over to a pile of cages. He picked up a square one made of dark twigs.

"She likes this one." He said, holding it out and opening the latch.

The owl glided from my shoulder and into the cage, landing on her perch happily. Sheffield closed the latch, handing me the cage.

"Thanks." I said, taking it from him and poking my finger through the bars. The owl nibbled at it playfully.

"You're really quite handsome, you know."

I nearly dropped the cage. Had I actually heard him correctly? I looked up at him, suddenly realizing how close he was.

"Sorry?" I asked, taking a step back.

"W-well you know. I've seen you in all the papers and you look much different in person."

I was speechless. "Um.. yeah, I suppose." I said, looking anywhere but his face. "I'd better go.." I said, side stepping and walking past him.

"Come back anytime!" He said happily as I stepped out the door. I nodded back as nicely as I could, making a silent vow to myself that I would never step foot in that shop again.

I walked a few meters before I realized my dilemma. I can't apparate with an owl. I slapped my hand against my forehead. How could I be so stupid?

I looked down at my newly purchased owl.

"Hey." I said, lifting the cage up to my face. "Do you know where Hogwarts is?" I asked it, as if it spoke english. The owl looked at me blankly for a moment, but then hopped up and down, hooting softly. "I'll take that as a yes?" The owl hooted again. I unlatched the cage, letting it fly to my shoulder. It nuzzled its face against my cheek, then pushed off of my shoulder, soaring into the reddening sky. I watched it fly away, hoping with all my might that I didn't just waste 15 galleons on a lost bird.

I spun on the spot, apparating right next to castle grounds. The sun was absolutely blinding as it set, making me squint to see the path ahead of me. I slowly made my way up to the owlry, planning to wait for the owl to get there. The wind wasn't too bad, so I hoped that would make it easier for it to find it's way.

The steps to the owlry were coated by a thin layer of snow, crunching beneath my feet as I made my way up. I walked into the owlry, greeted by the flutter of wings and soft hoots. Leaning against a window, I peered out across the lake, watching the sky turn dramatic shades of red and yellow.

"Potter."

I nearly fell out the window I jumped so badly. I swung around to find Draco inches from my face.

"Draco! Don't _do_ that!" I said, pushing against his chest.

He chuckled, smiling down at me. I clutched my heart, leaning against the wall.

He rested his elbows on the edge of the window, squinting out against the setting sun. The color of the sky caused him to have a pinkish hue, his grey eyes standing out even more, glinting in the sunlight.

"I was wondering where you'd gone too. I haven't seen you all day." He said, looking at me, a smile still playing on his lips.

"I was in an owl shop with a loon named Sheffield." I said, leaning on the window next to him. His eyebrows pulled together in a bemused smile.

"Should I be worried?" He asked, mockingly.

I scoffed. "Well, he did call me handsome." I replied, watching his eyebrows raise.

"Mm. I'll keep an eye out then." He said, kissing the side of my forehead as he wrapped an arm around me. "What were you doing in an owl shop, anyways?"

"Birthday present for Ron's mum." I said, searching the skies for an approaching owl.

"That's sweet." Draco said, his fingers gliding up and down against my arm.

"Thought she could use one. I think Hermione has a card we are going to sign. Did you want to sign it with us?" I asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "I've already gotten her one, thank you though."

"What?" I asked in shock, leaning away from him to look up at his face. It was one thing to buy Hermione a present, but to buy Ron's mum a present was a completely different thing.

"What?" He asked, looking down at me innocently. "It's nothing, really." He said shrugging.

"What did you get her, then?" I asked.

A smile played on his lips and I knew what he was going to say before it came out of his mouth. "It's a surprise."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Of course." I said, leaning against the window again. He laughed at my frustration.

"It's nothing, really." He said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Mhmm." I said, remembering the remarkable present he gave Hermione. I'm sure this one would be solid gold slippers or a pure diamond dressing gown. "Where have you been, then? I was looking for you earlier." I asked, looking up at him.

"I was here." He replied, not meeting my eyes.

"What? All day?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I went and had supper, but I'm waiting on an owl from my mum." He said. I could tell there was something off in his voice.

"What for?" I asked, searching his face for an answer.

"She uh.. she went to see father today." He replied, looking in the direction opposite my face.

I could have kicked myself. How could I not've remembered that?

"Oh, yeah..." I said stupidly, not knowing what else to say.

"She said she'd send me a letter about how he was doing. It should be here soon. Actually..." Draco said, squinting into the sunlight and raising his hand to shield his eyes. There was white owl with black wings soaring toward us. We stepped back as it flew through the window above our heads. It swept around the owlry majestically, hooting loudly. It fluttered down, landing on Draco's arm. It held out its leg, unwavering as it sat up very straight, it's head held high.

"Thank you, Eldridge." Draco said, untying the letter carefully.

The owl cooed once, then pushed off of Draco's arm, sitting on the window sill, tucking its face into its wing.

Draco unraveled the parchment, his Grey eyes flicking down as he read. His mouth opened slightly, the corner of his mouth upturning.

"Mum's told father about us." Draco said, his eyes still moving. His mouth closed into a thin line, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed. "They reduced his sentence. 15 years, now. Not 30."

"That's..." I trailed off not knowing if this was a good or bad thing for Draco.

He stopped reading, rolling up the paper and handing it to me. I took it as he walked back over to the window.

I unrolled it, revealing very thin cursive. It was slightly more curly than Draco's. I began to read after a glance toward Draco.

"Draco,

Your father sends his best. He would have liked to see you. I mentioned your relationship with one Harry Potter, to which he wishes you success and happiness. I told you he wouldn't be bothered by it. He's a changed man. Truly.  
I have good news! Your father's sentence has been shortened to 15 years due to the information he gave, leading to the capture of wizards who were known for muggle torture. He seems in decently good health. The lack of dementors bodes well.  
I would appreciate it if you came with me the Sunday after next. He misses you, Draco.  
We can talk about it when I see you on Tuesday. Wish Harry well for me.

All my love,  
Mother."

I rolled the letter up, stepping forward to stand next to Draco. I handed the parchment back to him, which he tucked into his pocket.

"You really think your dad's changed?" I asked him, looking at the side of his face. He didn't look at me, but instead continued to stroke the owl, who was unresponsive.

Draco shrugged and shook his head. "Most likely not. That's just mother's way of seeing him, I guess. Everything he said was most likely dripping with sarcasm." Draco said bitterly. He sighed, dropping his hand away from the owl.

"I guess I just can't see him as a good guy after all he's done." Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe I don't want too." He added, looking at me. "Is that selfish?"

He asked me, his eyes scanning my face. I shook my head, to which he looked slightly relieved.

"I just... I don't know... There are too many bad memories attached to him. He's the reason I was ever involved with Voldemort in the first place. He put up our house to be the bloody dark wizard's day spa for Merlin's sake." Draco said with resentment. "How could he do that to us?" He sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I spent a majority of my life trying to be like him. I wanted his approval for everything I did, but now when I look at him all I feel is anger and frustration." He finished, resting against the wall and putting his hands in his pockets.

"You just need time, Draco. Maybe you should go with your mum some time. Or we could go one day, if you want." I said, trying to sound hopeful.

His grey eyes moved over my face, as if to see if I was kidding. Suddenly his face wrinkled up into a smile and he outstretched one of his arms to me, gesturing me forward. I stepped into his arms as they closed around me.

"You're wonderful, you are." He said, resting his cheek against the top of my head.

I blushed deeply, a smile spreading across my lips.

Suddenly there was a squawk from Draco's owl. Draco and I looked out the window in time to see my owl fly through a window above us. Instead of it soaring down to my arm, it flew straight out the other side.

"What was-?" Draco started, only to be cut off as it flew through another window, crashing into his face.

I burst into laughter as Draco shouted in fear, holding the side of his face.

"Dra-Draco! Are- Are you alright?" I asked between fits of laughter as the owl landed on my shoulder cooing happily. I reached forward taking his face in my hands. "Are you okay?" I asked again, on the verge of laughter.

"Shut it, Potter. Bloody bird." Draco said, biting back his smile. He rubbed the side of his face, glaring at my owl menacingly. It jumped off my shoulder, landing on Draco's and nuzzling it's face against his cheek, hooting apologetically.

Draco turned his head to the side, folding his arms. The owl nibbled at his hair, then his ear, trying to get his attention. I could see Draco's face spreading into a smile. He chuckled as the pressed it's face against his neck.

"Alright, alright." Draco said, turning his face to look at it. "You're forgiven."

The bird cooed happily, bouncing on Draco's shoulder. Draco smiled at it, stroking it's feathers.

A soft hoot came from my right, I turned to see Draco's owl looking up at mine. He seemed very alert, hooting again to get Draco's attention.

"Looks like Eldridge's got a bit of a crush on you." Draco said to my owl. She hooted, then jumped off Draco's shoulder to land on the windowsill next to Eldridge. She nuzzled her face against his white chest, making the bird hop back and squawk. She hopped forward, nipping at his feathers playfully. He squawked again, but didn't move back.

"Perhaps we should leave these two alone." Draco said to me, a smirk on his lips.

Eldridge hooted loudly, as if telling Draco to shut up. Draco chuckled, taking my hand.

"Let's go. It's getting dark." He said, smiling at me.

"Night, little one." I said to my owl, stroking its wings once more. She trilled at me happily as we walked out of the owlry.

* * *

As Tuesday finally rolled around, Draco and I went straight to Snape's classroom after our lessons were done. We were checking that everything was the right color and temperature. It had 3 hours before it would be finished, and Draco sent my owl to his mum for good measure, even though he had already sent her about four letters clarify details.

We made our way up to the Great hall to have dinner before we joined Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital wing. She was now training a substitute mediwitch to look after everyone in her absence.

Draco and I ate as much dinner as we could, which was not much considering how nervous we both were. I couldn't imagine what Draco was feeling.

We made our way to the Hospital wing, stepping inside to find an incredibly flustered Madam Pomfrey.

"NO! Dear, look. Just read the numbers off the side, there's no need to poke the boy!" Madam Pomfrey said to a woman about 10 years older than me. She had curly brown hair and was about a foot taller than everyone in the room.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and shook her head, turning to us. "Is it time?" She asked, looking strained.

I looked at my watch. "We have about 45 minutes until we need to leave."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Right. I best pack my things then. Connie, dear, please just remember. If you run into something you don't recognize immediately, look in the book." She said, handing an incredibly large book to the younger woman. She nodded, her curls bouncing around her face.

Madam Pomfrey heaved another great sigh and shuffled back to her office, emerging a minute later with a very small bag.

"Alright, you two, let's get going then." She said, pausing next to Connie. "I'll be back tomorrow about this time. Don't forget. Book." She pointed to the book still cradled in the woman's hands. Madam Pomfrey sighed and turned, walking out the door. Connie smiled at me and I smiled back briefly, taking Draco's hand and speed walking after Madam Pomfrey. Her shoes clicked against the floor the speed of a train.

We arrived at Snape's classroom around 7:30, Draco and I were slightly out of breath, but Madam Pomfrey seemed undisturbed by the hasty pace she had kept.

Snape was standing in his portrait awaiting our arrival.

"Severus." Madam Pomfrey said, seemingly attempting to void her voice of annoyance.

"Poppy." Snape said, his mouth pinching and curling up at the corners.

There was obvious tension between them. Draco cleared his throat slightly.

Snape flicked his hair out of his face lazily, his black eyes landing on us.

"Get the potion and butterscotch from the cupboard. It should be ready in about 15 minutes. There is a potion flask on the right next to the bat wings, you will ladle it into that to serve." Snape directed.

Draco and I walked over to the closet, carefully pulling out the potion and setting it on the table. Draco went back into the closet, reappearing with butterscotch, a ladle and a clear flask, gently setting it down on the table next to the cauldron. He sat down next to me and began fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt. I reached over and put my hand on his knee, patting it softly. He looked at me and I gave him a small smile which seemed to make him relax a little. He placed his hand on top of mine, giving it a small squeeze.

I watched the flame under the cauldron until we heard the chime of the clock in the distance.

Draco and I stood up immediately.

"Add in a tablespoon of butterscotch and stir clockwise until the potion turns a golden brown." Snape ordered. Draco grabbed it and measured out a tablespoon. He poured it in as I slowly stirred. It changed from a deep red to a bright yellow, darkening with each turn. After the color stopped changing, I pulled the spoon out and picked up the flask.

I pushed a button on the side to uncork it as Draco scooped a generous amount of the potion, holding it over the flask. He tipped the ladle very slowly, sending a stream of what looked like golden honey streaming down into the glass. It was warm against my hand as it filled to the very top. Draco tilted the ladle up, putting it back in the cauldron without losing a single drop. I sealed the potion and handed it to Madam Pomfrey who stuck it in her tiny bag.

"Turn off the heat and leave the cauldron as it is. The children serving detention will clean it up in your absence. Narcissa will have to drink at least half of this potion before the hour is up. She will go into a deep sleep for 17-20 hours. Any attempts to waken her will be futile. Good luck." He said, nodding his head curtly.

"Thank you, Professor." Draco said. Snape's eyes flicked to Draco's face, studying him.

"You're welcome, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, actually sounding genuine. I had never heard him speak in such a way.

"Hurry up then, the clocks ticking!" Madam Pomfrey said from behind us. It made me jump slightly, but Draco seemed unaffected.

"Off we go then." Madam Pomfrey said, holding out her arm.

"What, we're Disapparating from here?" I asked, questioningly. I thought the only one who could apparate in and out of Hogwarts was the Headmaster.

"Well I won't be wasting time walking down that bloody hill, now will I? Minerva was kind enough to allow us to Disapparate from this classroom, so you can either go alone or do side Dissaparation with me."

"Actually, Madam, do you think that maybe if- since I know the location better- we might be better off-" Draco stuttered, trying to sound respectful. "Maybe I should lead, since I know where to go. You see, if we land inside the gate we'll get a horrible curse on us... It's not pretty." Draco said, his ears turning pink.

"Poppy, if I were you, I'd go with the boy. Unless you want to run the risk of having all your joints dislocated." Snape said from behind us.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened and she shuffled over to Draco. "Right, best you lead then."

Draco nodded, holding out his arm. She grabbed it firmly as if he were trying to run away. Draco smirked, holding his hand out to me. I took it, closing my eyes to brace myself for the swooping sensation.

* * *

I felt a small tug on my stomach, and when I opened my eyes were were standing outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. Madam Pomfrey was still clinging onto Draco's arm, here eyes squeezed shut. Draco bit down on his lip fighting a smile.

"Madam, we've.. we've arrived now." He said, resting his hand on top of hers, patting it softly.

Her eyes squinted open as if to see if he was joking. They widened as she looked up at the massive iron gates of Malfoy Manor. Draco patted her hand again, and this time she hastily let his arm go.

"Well done, boy. I see some of the professors here actually know what they're doing." She said, smoothing out her dress and clearing her throat. This was no doubt a stab at Snape. I don't think she ever got over the fact that he killed Dumbledore. I wondered if she knew the real reason behind it and how it helped us. I shook my head, not wanting to fall down that well of memories again.

Draco walked forward, my hand still in his. He gracefully waved his hand in the air and we walked through the iron gates, it's bars felt like cold smoke against my skin. As soon as we were on the other side, Draco walked back through, this time holding his elbow out for Madam Pomfrey to hold. He looked quite gentlemanly, as if he had just offered her a dance. He stepped forward, his long legs sweeping them forward. His fingers flicked through the air, making the gates turn to smoke again. He took my hand in his as they reached my side if the gate, Madam Pomfrey still held onto his elbow as we continued our way down the long path to the front stoop of Malfoy Manor.

As we walked up the steps, the front doors flew open. We made our way down the front hall, walking through the room with a fireplace and tall paintings of scowling Malfoy family members. I glanced over at Madam Pomfrey who was looking around wide- eyed at the black marble and intimidatingly high ceilings. She nearly tripped as we walked up the stairs into the next room. I looked up at the familiar chandelier, turning my head to look at Draco.

"Mother?" He called, his voice crisp and clear, echoing through the house.

Seconds later, the click of heels was heard in the hallway in front of us. I experienced Déjà Vu as Narcissa's slender figure emerged from the hall, sweeping Draco into her arms once again.

"Draco." She cooed as she stroked the back of his head lovingly. He hugged her more tightly than last time.

She released him, her small hands cupping his face as she smiled at him. She pushed his hair out of his face, then dropped her hands, turning to me and Madam Pomfrey who had stayed behind when Draco stepped forward to hug Narcissa.

A single click of her shoe sounded through the room as Narcissa stepped toward me, her graceful arms folded around my shoulders. The hug was again, brief and rigid, but it was the meaning behind it that counted.

"It's good to see you again, Harry." She said, the corners of her mouth upturning slightly.

"You, too, Mrs. Malfoy." I said, trying to hide to sound normal.

She held out a small, delicate hand to Madam Pomfrey, her mouth now frozen in a smile.

"Hello, I'm Narcissa Malfoy. Pleasure to meet you."

Madam Pomfrey shook her hand roughly, making Narcissa's smile falter.

"Poppy Pomfrey. Nice to meet ya." She said.

They dropped hands, Narcissa rubbed hers gingerly.

"Let's get on with it then, we only have about 20 minutes. Would you like to go to your bedroom? A comfortable couch, maybe?" Madam Pomfrey suggested.

"Is it necessary that I lie down?" Narcissa asked. I realized that we hadn't known it would make her sleep for so long.

"Um.. The potion might make you feel a bit tired, so perhaps it would be better if we went to the guest chamber?" Draco suggested calmly. I looked at him puzzled as to why he didn't tell her it would make her fall asleep.

Draco stepped forward, resting his hand on the small of his mother's back to usher her forward, down the hall from which she emerged. We made our way about halfway down, turning left into a doorway. We walked through the small room which was filled with antique china and tapestry that looked centuries old. It opened into a wide room with a ceiling high bookcase wrapped around every wall. There was a bed on a platform which sat underneath a very heavy looking chandelier.

"Merlin's beard." Madam Pomfrey mumbled next to me as Draco led his mum over to a high-backed chair in the corner.

"I know." I mumbled to her, catching her eye with a smile and an eye roll.

We walked over to Draco and his mum, Madam Pomfrey clicked open her bag and reached her entire arm into it. She pulled out the potion and set it on the table followed by a number of various pieces of medical equipment.

"That won't all be necessary, will it?" Narcissa asked, looking at the table concerned.

"Of course not. Just a precaution." Madam Pomfrey said giving her a comforting smile. Narcissa nodded, eyeing the potion. "Alright, here you go. You'll need to drink at least half of it. I'm not sure what it'll taste like, but, bottoms up!" She said, handing the potion to Narcissa.

She looked down it much like Draco does when I get him to try something new. She pressed the button, opening the cork. She sniffed at it, her nose wrinkling up. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Bottoms up." She mumbled, the phrase sounding odd in her aristocratic dialect.

She held the flask to her lips and tilted her head back, drinking it down with much more success than I had expected. She drank nearly 2/3rds of the flask before she tilted her head back down. She licked her lips, her eyebrows raising as she examined the flask.

"It's quite nice actually." She said, looking at Draco.

Her eyes blinked once slowly and her head lolled forward. Draco caught the flask as it fell from her slackened grip. Madam Pomfrey lifted her head, pulling back her eyelids. She felt her forehead and then pressed two fingers to her neck, checking her pulse. She nodded, pulling out her wand and waved it all around her head. She tilted it to the side, reading the edge of it. I squinted at it and saw white numbers that looked like they had been carved into it. They disappeared as soon as she looked away.

"Everything's good." She said to Draco happily.

He exhaled in relief. I rested my hand on his shoulder, smiling at him when he looked at me.

"Thank you. Truly." He said, both to me and Madam Pomfrey.

"No worries, dear." She said, patting his arm.

He set the flask down on the table, then knelt down again next to his mum. He slipped off her shoes, and then slid one hand around her back and one underneath her knees, standing up with her in his arms. He did it with such ease it looked as if she was weightless.

He glided up the two stairs to the bed, snapping his fingers to make the sheets pull back. He set her down gently as if she were a damaged bird, pulling the sheets up to her shoulders and adjusting the pillow underneath her head. He smoothed out her hair on the and kissed her forehead, standing to observe her for a moment.

He sighed contently and then hopped of the platform, making his way back over to us.

"Madam, would you like me to show you to your room now or would you like to wait?" he asked.

"No, no, dear. I'll be staying here to make sure she's alright."

"The entire night? What if you get tired?" Draco asked.

"I won't. I have a patient to attend to." She said waving her wand at the chair to make it levitate over next to the bed.

"Well..." Draco said, scratching the back of his neck. "The least I could do is offer you some tea?" He suggested. Madam Pomfrey clasped her hands together, her eyes brightening up.

"That'd be wonderful, my dear." She said happily to him.

He smiled, content that she accepted. "I'll be back momentarily." He said, kissing my cheek and gliding out of the room.

Madam Pomfrey continued to stand there, smiling at the door as if he were still there.

"He's quite the young gentleman nowadays." She said happily, finally moving to sit in the chair she had moved next to the bed. "I remember back in the days when he'd moan and groan about the smallest of things." She rolled her eyes. I remembered when Buckbeak had scratched his arm and how he had complained about it for weeks.

"I have to say, I think that might be because of you. You're a sweet lad, you are. Always have been." She said, smoothing out her apron.

My blush deepened. "Thank you." I said, clearing my throat.

Draco walked in, a full tea set resting on a silver platter in front of him. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand, conjuring a table on which the tea could be sat.

Draco set it down gently, waving his hand for the tea to serve itself. He tapped the teapot with his wand. "It will refill automatically and pour more tea at your request. All you have to do is say what you want."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, watching it curiously.

"Sugar." She said, causing two white cubes to rise into the air, falling into her cup with a satisfying plop. She smirked down at it slightly, then picked it up and took a sip. She 'mmd' smiling her thanks at Draco.

"Shall we stay with you for a while?" Draco asked.

"No, no, dears. I've got a book for myself. I'll be checking her every 20 minutes, I'm afraid it isn't a very interesting process to observe. Off you go." She said, waving us away.

Draco nodded, walking around the bed to the side on which his mother laid. He pressed a gentle kiss upon her forehead and smoothed out her hair.

He stood up walking with me to the door, turning around before he closed it.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Do give us a shout if anything happens. Believe me, I'll hear you." Draco said, hovering for a moment, his grey eyes resting on his mother just before the door snapped shut.

* * *

We stepped into Draco's immense room. He let my hand go, going up the steps slowly and flopping down on the bed, releasing a large sigh that sounded as though he had been keeping it in for years. He rubbed his face with his hands, letting his arms fold over his eyes.

I closed the door that Draco had left ajar, climbing the two steps to the uprising on which his bed sat. I laid down on the bed next to Draco, looking up at the black canopy above us. His bed was incredibly comfortable, the soft duvet puffing up around my face.

Draco wrapped one of his long arms around me, pulling me close to him. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and kissed it softly. He stroked my hair gently, his fingers playing with a few of the curls.

"Thank you for coming, Harry." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Of course. I'll always be here when you need me." I replied, smiling up at him when he glanced down at me.

His eyes wrinkled up as he smiled. "I know."

His grey eyes searched my face for a moment before he kissed my forehead and sat up. He sighed again as he stood, unclasping the buttons of his vest and shrugging it off, his graceful fingers flicking down the front of his shirt, leaving it hanging on his shoulders. He yanked his belt off of his narrow hips, draping it over the bedpost. I sat up as he walked down the steps and toward the windows, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. He tucked his hands into his pockets, observing the lake beyond.

I watched him look out the window, the blue moonlight outlining him against the window. He was expressionless as he stood there, unwavering. It felt like years before he finally moved, waving a delicate hand through the air. I jumped when a bright flash of orange light erupted from the fireplace, immediately making the black marble dance with color. Draco turned, watching the fire for a moment before he sat down on the piano bench. He straightened up, gracefully resting the tips of his fingers in perfect playing position.

His eyes closed as the first note sounded through the room. It was low and dark, sprinkled with two high staccato notes. He swayed with the slow rhythm of the song, his shoulders sweeping down as sonorous notes seeped from his fingertips. His fingers bounced across the keyboard effortlessly as the warm light of the fire bounced throughout the room.

As I watched him, for some reason I felt like I was intruding on something incredibly intimate. His eyebrows were pulled up into a point on his forehead, his hair falling in front of his face. I felt the urge to look away, as if his piano playing should be done in secret.

The song ended after a few deep chords, echoing through the room. Draco remained on the bench, his fingers glued to the keys. I stayed on the bed in silence, knowing that he was deep in thought over something.

"Harry.. What if the potion doesn't work?" Draco asked, his voice filled with concern.

"It will work, Draco. We did everything correctly." I replied, attempting to sound confident. I could tell that he wasn't satisfied with this answer as he dropped his hands onto his lap.

I stood, walking over to the bench and sitting down next to him, my back facing the piano. "If it doesn't work, we can try something else. Maybe Madam Pomfrey can look her over or something." I said, pushing his hair away from his face. He nodded slowly, looking down at the piano.

"What if we make it worse?" He asked, his face lined with worry. He suddenly looked much older, as if the song he just played sucked years off his life.

"We wont." I replied, my voice steady. He looked at me, searching my face for a trace of doubt. I used every ounce of energy I could to look sure of myself. He seemed to relax at my expression and nodded, turning around on the bench. He waved his hand at the piano, causing the keys to press down and fill the room with a sweet melody.

I stood, outstretching my hand and smiling down at him. He looked at it, and then up at me.

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows pulling together slightly.

I wiggled my fingers, smile growing wider. A smirk formed on his lips as he realized what I was doing. He gave a heavy sigh that didn't match the grin forming on his face, taking my hand to let me pull him up. I wrapped my hand around his waist, spinning us around. His eyes crinkled up into a smile as I pushed him away from me, spinning him around. I wrapped him back in my arm, dipping him. He let out a loud laugh as he stood up straight again. We danced around his vast room as the piano played, letting our concerns melt away for a while.

We landed on the bed when the song ended, breathing heavily and laughing. Our noses were almost touching as Draco smiled at me, the duvet puffing up around us.

"Thank you, Harry." He said, his voice full of joy as his eyes danced in the firelight. "For everything."

I reached out, pushing my fingers through his hair. I leaned forward and kissed him, smile pressed against smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey! This story has been moved/ continued on AO3. If you go there and search "Shewhxmustnxtbenamed" it will be on my 'works' page. Sorry for the inconvenience! Thanks for understanding! :)


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